I tried to explain to my kids lately the trouble with news. You want to be an informed citizen, so that you have some perspective on what's happening in the wor

I tried to explain to my kids lately the trouble with news. You want to be an informed citizen, so that you have some perspective on what's happening in the world and why. But that's rarely what 'news' is. Instead, it's a constant informational warfare environment. Rarely is a piece of news simply reporting on events – it's almost always trying to shape your opinion. The New York Times Daily podcast ends with "Here's what else you need to know today." So I've started to teach my kids instead how to read news critically. To spot logical fallacies and the signs of manipulation. To understand when someone is sharing an opinion rather than a fact, and to be aware that a lot of the information buzzing around the world is usually directed towards convincing you of something more than it is about educating you. There's still solid journalism out there, and I think a lot of people enter into the field with a desire to serve a public good. But sadly I think the majority of news has become like food from a vending machine. The signage might say Food™ but its got the nutritional value of a plastic toy. It's junk, filler, an extension of some corporate PR department.