6 Screenshots from Instagram stories by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ aoc
1. An image of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, seen from behind, being interviewed by a pack of reporters. Overlaid is the following text:
â[In an Instagram comment bubble, a question from a follower] Do you actually see truth in media? Or is it hyped for more views?
[Response Text] OK so first things first: journalists & members of the press are people with jobs that are overworked, underpaid and underappreciated. So Iâm not here to dump on them because they deal with enough. I respect them a lot and admire those who conduct their work with integrity.
But the institutions and incentives in media overall is absolutely incentivized towards conflict and drama, because that is what generates clicks, views, and revenue. That said, when you see a FACT that is reported, cited, and verified by several reputable outlets, 99.999% itâs going to be true.
HOWEVER! there is a BIG difference between a fact and the STORY. And the STORY (often the headline) thatâs told surrounding the fact is frequently stretched, mischaracterized, or dramatized to get you to click. Sometimes the STORY is so misleading that even thought it contains FACTS it is told in such a way that people will walk away thinking the wrong thing, or just getting angry about something thatâs actually not a big deal. And that creates lack of trust in media & institutions, and overall polarization. I will give you an example.â
2. A screenshot from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezâs DNC convention speech. She is shown head and shoulders wearing a lapel mic. Overlaid is the following text.
âRemember this? This was my DNC Convention speech to procedurally nominate Bernie. It was pre-recorded and approved by the DNC, Biden campaign, and Bernie. The DNC provided and advisory to the media DAYS ahead of time that I would be seconding Bernieâs procedural nomination.
This happens at EVERY single convention (Dolores Huerta did Hillary Clintonâs in â08, etc) and ironically it is considered an important step in UNITING the party by paying respect to the second-place finished and their supporters and sets up a process so we all come together via roll call in the end.
But how did @ nbcnews cover it? âĄâ
3. A screenshot from a tweet by @ NBCNews on Twitter. The tweet reads:
NBC News (@ NBCNews): âIn One of the shortest speeches of the DNC, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez did not endorse Joe Biden. âI hereby second the nomination of Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont for president of the United States of Americaâ. nbcnews.to/2Clp24câ
Overlaid is the following text:
âNBC immediately framed this normal process as âAOC doesnât endorse Joe Bidenâ when they KNEW this was normal and were ADVISED that the whole point of my role WASNâT to do that!
But educating people on the process doesnât generate as much clicks or money, so they framed this as controversially as possible. The FACT is true - I didnât endorse Biden in this 60 sec clip - but the STORY was at best irresponsible.
This actually made my life hell in the immediate aftermath. 20-30 million people were watching on convention nights. Floods of people, misled by NBC, directed a ton of abuse my way and I was cast as âgoing rogueâ and harming the party. A lot of moderate Democrats used this as an opportunity to send a lot of hatred, anger, and vitriol my way.
All for fulfilling a 60 second role that I was asked to do. And @ nbcnews has yet to apologize.
This stuff happens all the time.
(NBC quietly took down the tweet in the middle of the night - after it already went viral)â
4. An image of AOC using her phone with her feet propped up on a table. The following text is overlaid:
âMy tips for consuming media & staying informed:
- Donât rely on only one source. Every outlet has their own biases and habits, even if they donât want to admit it. Read multiple outlets to determine YOUR perspective.
- Get an idea for each outletâs slant / vibe / perspective / whatever you want to call it. Media bias rarely shows up as âthis outlet is out to get X politicianâ (though there are some hacky, 2nd/3rd tier outlets or websites that are that way), but itâs more often a bias towards a certain class perspective thatâs out of touch, or itâs a bias against context they DONâT have ie race. For example, a lot of newsrooms donât have enough empowered BIPOC journalists, so their coverage can be really tone deaf towards race, or gender, or class, etc.
- Identify journalists whose work you respect and trust. They often specialize in topics you are interested in, from politics to gaming. Follow them. I find that to be a lot more illuminating than just blanket loyalty to an outlet
- Take a beat. Many headlines are designed to triggers an emotional response. So if you have the inclination to get angry, pause.
 - Also: many journalists are not responsible for the headlines above their work. Which I find really sad, bc they will put in a ton of work on an article just for an editor to put in a horrible headline that undercuts all the work they just did. I believe digital headlines should be held to higher editorial standards to preserve peopleâs trust.
I believe we should hold headlines accountable too.â
5. An image of AOC surrounded by a press pack with mics and cameras. The following text is overlaid:
âThis also does NOT mean that news you dislike or disagree with isnât true!
But as a person in the whirlwind of it, it can feel quite unfair at times bc so much of it leans on lazy tropes and narratives.
This is why Iâm pretty assertive about correcting the record, logging my disagreements with certain takes, and commanding my own narrative. Because if they do it to me, they will do it to every other person who isnât traditionally seen as part of the political class. I see this as precedent-setting for other leaders who are on their way. Itâs a lot of work thought, like a whole other job on top of a job on top of a job.â
6. A black background with white text overlaid:
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Support local journalism!
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Keep an eye out for journalists whose work you admire
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Respect new and verified reporting, research more if youâre interested
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Donât fall down the âfake newsâ wormhole but still keep a critical eye
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PAY FOR A NEWS SUBSCRIPTION! (if you can). News outlets that donât have to chase click ads as much can invest in investigatory journalismâ
