Magical thinking is the mentality described by an “excessive optimism” and an unwillingness to cooperate to solve a problem. Understandably, this is a detrimental mentality to have when faced with major crises like climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and habitat destruction. So how do we deal with people who think like this? Louise Fabiani suggests to avoid presenting possible solutions in an optimistic manner, emphasising instead the importance of people’s involvement towards solving these crises. Read full article here
Research
Improving media literacy could boost trust towards the news, IMPRESS report suggests
The UK media is regulated by the likes of IPSO and Ofcom. The report by press regulator IMPRESS highlights the link between low levels of media literacy and trust in the news. The study found that three quarters of those who did not know if journalists were regulated did not trust the news. It suggests that improving media literacy is one way to stem the erosion of trust, and shows that audiences have an appetite for information on news processes. Stakeholders need to collaborate in order to rebuild trust in the news, and independent media is well placed to do this. Read full article here
Merv
February 1, 2023
