“Because outrage is addictive - and I won’t be steered by someone else’s adrenaline”. Well, I guess that statement disqualifies you from the CPC social media team.
Then you will feel right at home here on Substack. Yes, there are some wingnuts here but it’s the closest thing I know of that provides real news and opinions. Corporate media, as we traditionally know it, is pretty much dead, or close to it.
As a "born cynic", I never trust a headline nor react immediately. First, I check the date of publication (it's astonishing how many articles get deliberately recycled on the anniversary of the original publication to mislead the reader and provoke new outrage). Then I research the author, if I haven't done so already. What is their agenda? Then I read the article line-by-line, clicking on any links. Then I look for genuine source material on official websites and in industry journals (researching the authors of these). Then I check international news agency websites to see if/how the same news is being reported.
Does the rhetoric in the MSM match the facts? After making copious notes, I sit back and think. What impact does the author intend? How might different people react? What will be the overall consequences of this article having been published? Then I write it up as a first draft. Then I sleep on it to see how my brain chooses to interpret this new knowledge based on what I already knew. Then I try to write a dispassionate final draft with my own conclusions (opinion) at the end, distinct from the body of my article, trying to see it from all points of view. Then I simply file it for future reference because I have yet to find a trustworthy medium (not owned or funded by US interests) to submit it to.
I am fairly new to substack and haven't published anything here yet - a project for 2026 maybe? I'm very pleased to have found you, Fred Ferguson (GeezerWise). I really need to follow your example and learn how to use AI to speed up my research and writing processes (cynically, of course). There are only so many hours in a day ... and who knows where the time goes?
Your content & output are both high level. I’m glad I stumbled across your, er, Stack
Thank you, Taras... I’m glad you’re here.
If you enjoy this kind of analysis, there’s a lot more coming. Things are changing fast right now.
“Because outrage is addictive - and I won’t be steered by someone else’s adrenaline”. Well, I guess that statement disqualifies you from the CPC social media team.
I’m probably unemployable in most political comms departments Kevin. I've got this annoying little habit of preferring evidence over adrenaline.
Then you will feel right at home here on Substack. Yes, there are some wingnuts here but it’s the closest thing I know of that provides real news and opinions. Corporate media, as we traditionally know it, is pretty much dead, or close to it.
I’m glad you’re finding value here.
My goal is simple... clear thinking without the outrage machine.
Would it be possible for you to not use AI?
Laura, I use AI as a research and drafting tool... the ideas, opinions, and final decisions are still mine.
It’s no different than using spellcheck, Google, or a calculator. It just helps me process information faster.
You’re always free to agree or disagree with what I write... that’s the important part.
As a "born cynic", I never trust a headline nor react immediately. First, I check the date of publication (it's astonishing how many articles get deliberately recycled on the anniversary of the original publication to mislead the reader and provoke new outrage). Then I research the author, if I haven't done so already. What is their agenda? Then I read the article line-by-line, clicking on any links. Then I look for genuine source material on official websites and in industry journals (researching the authors of these). Then I check international news agency websites to see if/how the same news is being reported.
Does the rhetoric in the MSM match the facts? After making copious notes, I sit back and think. What impact does the author intend? How might different people react? What will be the overall consequences of this article having been published? Then I write it up as a first draft. Then I sleep on it to see how my brain chooses to interpret this new knowledge based on what I already knew. Then I try to write a dispassionate final draft with my own conclusions (opinion) at the end, distinct from the body of my article, trying to see it from all points of view. Then I simply file it for future reference because I have yet to find a trustworthy medium (not owned or funded by US interests) to submit it to.
I am fairly new to substack and haven't published anything here yet - a project for 2026 maybe? I'm very pleased to have found you, Fred Ferguson (GeezerWise). I really need to follow your example and learn how to use AI to speed up my research and writing processes (cynically, of course). There are only so many hours in a day ... and who knows where the time goes?