Primaries, Olympics, elections… 2020 is going to be a Nate Silver kind of year, and a measurement geek’s favorite kind of year. There will be bigger and bigger piles of what we love to roll around in: data, polls, stats, Breaking News!, and media, media, media.
It’s already overwhelming, and it’s only going to get worse. So, what’s the key to focus, productivity, and piece of mind amidst the maelstrom? Here are five tips for the media-savvy measurement maven:
1. Put yourself on a media diet
Forget how many calories you’re consuming or burning off. What really matters in 2020 is your mental health, and for that you must be selective about the media you chose to consume. Everyone from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to your arch-rival in the industry is going to be pushing false narratives and creating copycat media outlets. The key is to subscribe to what is trustworthy and ignore the rest—especially anything on Facebook, Twitter, Apple News, or YouTube. They’re the most popular and therefore the most likely to be hijacked and/or manipulated.
Your good-to-go-to list can include podcasts, newsletters, Twitter feeds, or actual real-life printed content—it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to follow authors that you know you can trust.
For me it’s Walter Shapiro who writes for Roll Call, the Brennan Center for Justice, and The New Republic. Maggie Haberman at The New York Times, Mara Liaison and the rest of the NPR Politics gang, and Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vietor on Pod Save the World, and, yes, Rachel Maddow because I love how she uses data to craft a story.
For industry stuff, I follow Seth Arenstein, in part because he’s my editor at PR News, but also I just like his perspective; Bob Garfield and Brooke Gladstone of On The Media; and NPR’s David Folkenflik, because he knows the media better than anyone.
I limit my daily newsletter feed to a handful: Roll Call, to know what is actually transpiring on Capital Hill; New Hampshire Pubic Radio’s Primarily Politics newsletter, to keep on top of what is happening locally; and What a Day from Crooked Media, because it makes me laugh.
Of course I get emails and other newsletters that I didn’t ask for and their headlines occasional grab me. But I look at them like I look at ice cream; if I haven’t eaten all day and have nothing else to eat, then I consider it food. But it’s not part of my daily diet.
2. Vet your sources
It’s ridiculously easy to create fake versions of publications, especially when it comes to international media. So check everything through Snopes or make sure it’s a trusted outlet that you have to subscribe to.
Also, keep up-to-date on the sources you assume you can rely on. They do occasionally move to the dark side and become an “expert” for a lobbying company. Not that you should ignore them, but you can at least move them to the Paid Shill folder of your inbox.
3. Ignore anything that doesn’t help you contribute to your organization’s strategic priorities
If your customers, clients, bosses, or key media aren’t on Twitter, then ignore it. Same thing goes for every other social media platform.
Keep your key stakeholders top of mind. If you don’t know what they’re paying attention to these days, survey them. And then pay attention to whatever sources they get their information from. Ignore the rest.
That doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in the latest trending hashtag on Instagram. But don’t let it distract you when you’re on deadline, or add to the general chaos in your life.
4. Use the power of the synopsis: trust your favorite journalists to do their jobs
There are the things in our world that you need to know enough about to not sound like an idiot—but maybe you don’t need to read every page of the 500-page report. This is why I love newsletters, briefings, and podcasts. Smart podcast hosts can take massive stories or major trends and boil them down to a 5-minute synopsis. They are good to listen to so you can stay informed and sound smart at a cocktail party. One good episode of The Daily, the brilliant NY Times podcast by Michael Barbaro, is a great example. You get enough of the details to speak knowledgeably, and it’s only taken 30 minutes to get there.
5. Tend your own piece of mind: find your media and data-free zone
Remember that the smartest minds in media tech are constantly crafting new ways to grab and keep your attention. Recognize when some clever click-bait has just manipulated you, and actively work to tend your own precious time, focus, and piece of mind.
Build yourself a distraction-proof media-free breathing space. Whether it’s a walk on the beach, a hike in the woods, a 10-minute soak in your hot tub, or giving your puppy a belly rub, there has to be time in your day when you turn the media off.
For me it’s after I’ve answered my last email of the day. I crack open a beer, play with the cats and dog, chase the chickens inside, do something creative, get the mail, or watch a dumb comedy. All of which involve avoiding all forms of news. Until 9 pm, that is, when Rachel Maddow comes on and tells me what I’ve missed. ∞
