Columnist Daniel Cantor Yalowitz: What’s below the headlines

Daniel Cantor Yalowitz

Daniel Cantor Yalowitz

By DANIEL CANTOR YALOWITZ

Published: 10-13-2024 3:17 PM

 

“To be or not to be? That is the question.” — William Shakespeare

 

As we rapidly approach the national date of decision on Nov. 5, many of us are intensifying our interest in and concern about what the news media is feeding us entering the 2024 presidential and down-ballot Election Day. Given that we are in an era rampant with mis- and disinformation, the question that is often raised is “What’s the truth here?” along with corollary queries such as “What’s really going on?” and “What can I feel safe in believing?”

It’s critical that we consider both the source and the context of “news” being delivered to our eyes and ears in order to make the personal decisions necessary to prepare to vote, and then to do so.

The news media “sells” information, and they call it “news.” We purchase this information according to our values, priorities and political leanings. These various sources of our news may or may not be biased, but each source is competing for air space and the highly limited attention span of its audience.

This means that the news that comes to us must be to the point, whatever that point is. But is it “straight” to this point, or does it curve or meander to demonstrate its slant, however subtly? And is the point being made a clear one, focused on objective truths, facts, and based on previously known data and information? We would do well to think and rethink who or what the source is and the larger context of the situation.

Headlines are “grabbers” intended to alert us to key in on some sort of story. They are designed to generate interest, or alarm, about something that is deemed important by a particular source that is supposedly relying on accurate information. Headlines generate intrigue. But wait, there’s more. In addition to stimulating interest, headlines must by their essence and design be extremely brief.

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Grabber headlines exist merely to get us to read, listen, subscribe, join, become paying members, and the like. I recall hearing the term “yellow journalism” in grade school, way back in the day. As a textbook definition, “yellow journalism and the yellow press are U.S. newspapers that use eye-catching headlines and sensationalized exaggerations for increased sales.”

Not all news media uses this approach, but some do, and do so quite clearly. There is way more to any story than its headlines.

Given this, we would do well to cast a slightly cynical eye at the headlines we see, hear, read and experience. As I take in and take on any day’s headlines, I find myself asking the following:

Does the news item actually follow its headline? Or is it intended merely to suck me in?

Are there any “trigger words” in a headline that cause me to respond or react in a strong or emotional manner?

Instead of stimulating me to read on, does this headline actually shut down my interest?

Does this headline get to the gist or core of what I really want to know or learn?

What is the extent of my curiosity as I read this headline?

Do I trust that this headline will provide me with the broader context of the item it’s about?

Do the “facts” in the article support or warrant its headline?

In the remaining few weeks that exist until Election Day, we will no doubt see wilder and bolder headlines that are created to be a “wow” factor in our daily decision as to what news media we’ll focus on. Discernment is important here. Learning who and what to trust is part of this discernment process.

I seek truth. I want objectivity and some degree of neutrality in the headlines and news that I take in each and every day. I don’t wish to be “grabbed” or assaulted by headlines that are seeking attraction and attention. Please allow me to come to my own conclusions, through my own analysis, so provide me only with headlines that form the core or essence of the item below it.

I don’t wish to be subservient to the whims of yellow journalism, or even gently tainted and biased news reporting. What would headlines actually look like if they were to meet only these goals? How would they need to change in order to do so?

One of my most fervent hopes and desires is to want to have faith and trust in our cultural institutions. These must be earned over time. A big splash of misguided headlines is a huge turn-off for me. As a human being and a writer, my greatest concern with regard to the articulation of “news” and the headlines fronting it is that they are honest, clear, and truthful. We need to re-learn that facts cannot be distorted, manipulated, or biased only to favor a particular side or perspective.

Whichever way we go in our voting, let it reflect our most honest core values and beliefs. Doing so will create its own headlines and meaning. Can we follow this through to and beyond Nov. 5?

Daniel Cantor Yalowitz writes a regular column in the Recorder. A developmental and intercultural psychologist, he has facilitated change in many organizations and communities around the world. His two most recent books are “Journeying with Your Archetypes” and “Reflections on the Nature of Friendship.” Reach out to him at danielcyalowitz@gmail.com.