Divine Providence for Fools, Drunkards and the United States of America

God has a special providence Otto von Bismarck once purportedly said for fools drunkards and the United States of Americaamp160 amp160Apocryphal or not the 150yearold quote attributed to Germany39s famed Iron Chancellor conjures the kind of divine help that anyone paying attention to current events could only wish for todayThe challenges facing the United States are obvious a chaotic compromised presidency a deeply divided electorate growing threats from Russia and China and new forces from technological to climate change that are reshaping not only our economy and society but also the world order to mention only a few amp160What39s far less clear is whether the media are helping Americans understand them or making their uncertainties worseamp160As might be expected considering its evermorphing forms there are many narratives about the mediaamp160 From studies of violence to sermons on values the contending analyses of the industry39s impact on our society cover the waterfront amp160Even without consensus among the debating academics practitioners criticsamp160and commentators however none would dispute that the media39s influence is growing and often stealthily in only belatedly recognized waysThat39s what makes examining its role in our democracy including on crucial issues we face so importantamp160 This column will try to do just that amp160If the late Anthony Lewis the Pulitzer Prizewinning New York Times columnist had not forever earned the naming rights it might be called quotAbroad at Homequotamp160 The goal to bring the perspective of an intelligence analyst with four decades of experience analyzing other countries to commentary on his ownamp160Mediavillage has generously allowed me to offer such views from time to timeamp160 For those who have read them you will find this regular column will raise familiar themesamp160 Some of theamp160 questions for example the changing nature of news and its part in informing and educating citizens will represent hearty perennialsamp160 Others such as how social media corrupted the integrity of our political process and its vulnerability to forces intent on undermining national security are newly emergingamp160 In both cases they deserve a steadier lookSo do broader issues shaping an industry whose influence on the direction of the country will only growamp160 Take the importance of the press in creating an informed citizenryamp160 In a survey of 11 national media markets a few years ago the United States ranked ninth in the percentage of its newscasts devoted to international and foreign newsamp160 Given where most Americans get their information about the world small wonder a 2016 Council on Foreign Relations and National Geographic survey found even after nearly two decades of war in Iraq less than half of college graduates under 26 years old could identify the country on a mapOr consider a company39s responsibilitiesamp160 Case in point our national security and social media39s complicity in Russian election meddlingamp160 The Silicon Valley CEOs who built Facebook and Twitter including with Russian money have stumbled from denial to apology to excuse in trying to explain why the idea that bad actors might subvert their creations somehow never crossed their mindsamp160 Add to the Wunderkinder39s dismal performance their inept fixes and dubious commitment to get them right and any thoughtful citizen should be worriedamp160The threats facing the country raise complicated subjectsamp160 Many are well beyond a typical boardroom39s business concernsamp160 So are their consequences for the United Statesamp160 Investing in quality journalism or eliminating the vulnerabilities built into Facebook YouTubeamp160and Twitter also will be expensive shareholders won39t be happyamp160 But what39s the cost to fix a society illinformed about the world or pitted against itself by foreign adversaries out to destroy the credibility of its democratic processThese are only a few of the public policy questions that confront Americans as well as the media industryamp160 To understand why finding their answers is vital to our national interest calls for facts as well as analysisamp160 Like any intelligence assessment this column will make an effort to distinguish the two in helping its readers think through what39s important to them as well as the countryamp160 In the meantime we should hope Bismarck39s observation still appliesClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Divine Providence for Fools, Drunkards and the United States of America

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Kent M. Harrington

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