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When did people stop trusting the media?
There was a time, not so long ago, when people trusted the media, and not just their specific corners of it. Walter Cronkite. Edward R. Murrow. Dan Rather. These were people all Americans relied on to understand the world, and they did so without suspicion. Today, we live in a different reality (or multiple realities, in fact). But according to media historian Nicole Hemmer, the war on trust began decades ago.
Starting back in the 1970s, Hemmer says, "...it was advantageous to the Republican Party to try to create an alternative to the mainstream media, an alternative to the Walter Cronkites...We see that with Fox News in the '90s, but also with the rise of talk radio, and then to some extent, the rise of alternative social networks that's happening now."
Hemmer joined media journalist and former CNN host Brian Stelter on a special panel interview for GZERO World with Ian Bremmer. The two discussed how the hyper-fragmented media landscape in which we find ourself has actually been decades in the making. And they look ahead to the 2024 election and consider how media companies can rebuild trust with Americans during such a crucial time for democracy.
Watch this episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: "Politics, trust & the media in the age of misinformation"
Watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
US Ambassador to Canada addresses concerns over Trump indictment and political turmoil
David Cohen, the US ambassador to Canada, doesn't seem too worried about the indictment of former President Donald Trump affecting his job. But that's not to say that US politics aren't stirring up some commotion in Canada.
In conversation with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World, Cohen was questioned on how a potential Trump comeback could impact Canada, as well as the extent to which the US is exporting its political turmoil.
Canadian Ambassador to the US, Kirsten Hillman, chimed in, acknowledging that Canada has historically been sensitive to US politics.
With an appetite for American media, Canadians are not immune to the ripple effects of political unrest south of the border. The two ambassadors agreed on one thing: political polarization is a menacing global issue that poses a significant threat to democracy.
Note: this interview appeared in an episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on April 10, 2023, "What the US and Canada really want from each other"
Hard Numbers: Nashville school shooting, Rohingya flee to Indonesia, Deutsche disruption, America’s tumbling tolerance, white-collar AI wipeout
6: Six people, including three young children and three adults, were killed on Monday at the Covenant School, a private Christian primary school in Nashville, Tenn. Audrey Hale, a former student, was identified as the shooter. The 28-year-old was shot and killed by police during the attack, the 130th mass shooting in the US this year.
184: That’s how many Rohingya refugees landed in Indonesia’s western Aceh province on Monday. Each year, asylum-seekers flee persecution in Myanmar by making the treacherous voyage through the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea to reach Muslim-majority Indonesia or Malaysia.
24: Transportation across Germany ground to a halt Monday in the country’s largest walkout in decades. Unions called a rare 24-hour strike to press for a double-digit rise wage hike amid soaring inflation — partly due to Germany kicking its Russian natural gas habit over the war in Ukraine.
58: So much for loving thy neighbor. A new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll finds that just 58% of Americans believe that tolerance for others is very important, down from 80% four years ago. People in the US now prioritize money more than patriotism and religion. Why? Experts cite the economy, COVID, and fractured politics.
300 million: Generative artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT — which can create human-like content — could put a whopping 300 million people out of work within a decade in big economies. According to Goldman Sachs, lawyers and administrative staff are the most at risk, and two-thirds of jobs in the US and Europe could be exposed to some form of automation.
Toxic social media & American divisiveness
Are America's social and political divisions a greater threat to its future than any external force? On this episode of GZERO World, tech expert and NYU Professor Scott Galloway argues that despite its geopolitical and economic strength, America's social fabric is fraying due to “a lack of camaraderie, patriotism, and connective tissue.”
He blames social media for creating the sense that things are much worse than they are and worries that artificial intelligence may only make a growing problem much worse.
Galloway suggests antitrust measures, criminal charges, and mandatory national service as possible solutions to the problems America is facing. “I don’t think this will get better until someone a, key executive at a big tech company is criminally charged and walked off.”
Watch the full interview with Galloway on GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: The AI arms race begins: Scott Galloway’s optimism & warnings
The AI arms race begins: Scott Galloway’s optimism & warnings
As the world embraces the power of AI, there are growing concerns about the potential consequences of this double-edged sword. On this episode of GZERO World, tech expert and NYU Professor Scott Galloway sheds light on the darker side of AI, with social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok being used as espionage and propaganda tools to manipulate younger generations. But don't lose hope yet. AI can speed up search and help predict the next big trend, says Galloway. He emphasizes the potential of AI and language structure-driven search to revolutionize traditional search methods, and the value of social media data sets for decision-making.
Galloway also expresses concern about the negative effects of extreme political polarization and a lack of camaraderie in the US, which he attributes to social media creating the sense that things are much worse than they are. He proposes one bold solution: mandatory national service. But he also recommends efforts to bring young people together and to hold social media companies accountable.
And let's not forget about population decline - it's a big problem. Galloway thinks we can fix it with better job security and an open immigration policy to get the best minds on board.
Watch "GZERO World with Ian Bremmer" every week on US public television and on gzeromedia.com.
- Can we control AI before it controls us? ›
- Artificial intelligence from Ancient Greece to 2021 ›
- Be more worried about artificial intelligence ›
- Artificial intelligence and the importance of civics ›
- TikTok is the ultimate propaganda tool, says tech expert Scott Galloway ›
- Emotional AI: More harm than good? - GZERO Media ›
- Ian interviews Scott Galloway: the ChatGPT revolution & tech peril - GZERO Media ›
- Larry Summers: Which jobs will AI replace? - GZERO Media ›
- US debt limit: default unlikely, dysfunction probable - GZERO Media ›
- GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: Season 6 preview - GZERO Media ›
- The AI power paradox: Rules for AI's power - GZERO Media ›
- Podcast: Getting to know generative AI with Gary Marcus - GZERO Media ›
- How tech companies aim to make AI more ethical and responsible - GZERO Media ›
- How AI can be used in public policy: Anne Witkowsky - GZERO Media ›
Can sports fans save America?
You already know that America is getting more polarized by the day. Democrats and Republicans hardly live together, work together, or hang out together the way they used to.
But a new book called Fans Have More Friends argues that highly-engaged sports fans are less politically polarized, have greater trust in institutions, and generally live happier lives.
To learn more, GZERO's Alex Kliment met up with one of the book's authors, Dave Sikorjak, a marketing consultant who studies the motivations of sports fans. Where'd Alex and Dave link up? Where else -- at a tailgate in Philadelphia ahead of a game between the Giants and the Eagles. It all went great until Alex got taped to the front of a bus, but you'll get to that...
Back to divided government: Biden's silver lining from a Republican House
The GOP was gearing up for a red wave in the US midterms. But in the end, it was just a ripple, and while the Republicans narrowly won the House Democrats kept the Senate.
Why? Democrats turned out more voters worried about democracy and abortion, NPR's White House correspondent Tamara Keith tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
Divided government with such tight margins, she says, now means two things. First, nothing much is going to get done in Congress for two years.
Second, Republicans will have a hard time overcoming dysfunction in the House.
Watch the GZERO World episode: US democracy after US midterms: polarized voters & Trump's GOP
US democracy after US midterms: polarized voters & Trump's GOP
What happened in the US midterm elections is becoming clear: the red wave-turned-ripple was only enough for Republicans to narrowly win the House, while the Democrats kept the Senate. But 'why' it happened is a harder question to answer.
On GZERO World, NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith speaks to Ian Bremmer about all things midterms.
Her take on what saved the Dems? Abortion rights and protecting democracy turned out voters.
And what about the GOP? Keith has some thoughts on whether it's still a MAGA party or a Trump personality cult and, looking ahead to 2024, whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a viable alternative to the former president.