What's real, what's fake and why reporting changes the minds of viewers?

We live in a world where dramatic images and propaganda headlines are more important than the facts. Our press is driven by attention, clicks, advertising and raising the anxiety of viewers.

We can't see the impact our media have on us and I think that's the fundamental issue. I'm not a journalist but I know the more often a link is triggered, the stronger it becomes. How many times do we see a black person on TV who is linked with a violent crime or portrayed as a criminal, the neurons in our brain that link blackness with criminality fire? The same for people of other races. We've all seen it during Brexit with immigrants and most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic with the "Chinese" virus. 

We live in times where we consume more news in a form of social networks and search engines which are associated with an increase in the mean ideological distance between individuals. 

Right now with all that's happening with the protest around George Floyd dead, I feel like there isn't enough conversation about the purpose of those protests and clearly not enough of a historical context. The only thing we can see is violence and buildings on fire. The media coverage moved from images showcasing Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck toward burning streets and police officers attacking "now" peaceful protesters and the press. 

We all know that this is an issue going back 100s of years before the death of George Floyd. We all listen to similar people and live in a partisan society not willing to consider the opinions of others which draws further divide. That's why we look for similarity from others in a world of diversity. If we want our governments to act and make a change in our society we also need to change the way we consume information and perhaps create our own judgements based on facts and common sense.