Up First from NPR When News Broke
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Jul 6, 2025 
Ben Bradford, a reporter and host of Engines of Outrage, dives into the fractures in America's news media landscape. He discusses how news consumption has evolved into polarized echo chambers, creating conflicting realities. Bradford sheds light on the rise of conservative media figures like Rush Limbaugh and the strategic media tactics from the 70s that shaped political narratives. He also emphasizes the dangers of bias in journalism and the critical need for fact-checking to restore media accountability in today's fragmented environment.
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Dating Encounters with Misinformation
- Ayesha Rascoe shared personal dating stories encountering people with debunked conspiracy beliefs.
- These anecdotes illustrate how widespread and diverse misinformation is in everyday life.
Polarized News Bubbles
- Americans once trusted mostly the same news sources but now exist in polarized bubbles with conflicting facts.
- These bubbles shape very different realities, with only one side embracing conspiracy theories like election fraud and rejecting health interventions.
Shared Media Reality of 60s-70s
- In the 1960s and 70s, nearly three quarters of Americans watched the same three network evening news programs.
- This created a shared fact-based media reality across political lines.