I think the biggest problem with the modern media is that all stories are reported at "equal volume." Any tidbit the media has to fill time is headlined as if it were the most important thing currently happening in the world. There's no moderation of tone or consideration for reporting an accurate overall view of the world.
It's both interesting that traffic deaths are down overall and that deaths are up per mile traveled. But I would argue that they are not anywhere near equally important news. The total lowering of traffic deaths is news. The increase in deaths per mile is an interesting bit of trivia relevant to few people and should be reported as such.
This has been especially bad with something as nuanced and data-driven as COVID. Any new number or stat gets a headline even if it has zero meaning in the grand scheme of things. I've seen news sites with two stories on the same page simultaneously proclaiming that there's no evidence that there is immunity to COVID while also proclaiming that a vaccine trial was successful.
Coincidentally, that's where oldschool print media was better, if only due to space being limited and budgeted. Computers, otoh, are only good at dealing with things that are all alike.
But also because articles were all laid out right there on the pages next to each other and could be compared in physical terms.
It's both interesting that traffic deaths are down overall and that deaths are up per mile traveled. But I would argue that they are not anywhere near equally important news. The total lowering of traffic deaths is news. The increase in deaths per mile is an interesting bit of trivia relevant to few people and should be reported as such.
This has been especially bad with something as nuanced and data-driven as COVID. Any new number or stat gets a headline even if it has zero meaning in the grand scheme of things. I've seen news sites with two stories on the same page simultaneously proclaiming that there's no evidence that there is immunity to COVID while also proclaiming that a vaccine trial was successful.