The rising information glut necessitates methods for people to receive news and analysis and avoid wasting time. Follow these principles and you’ll learn more in less time.
Skip articles under headlines that end with a question mark, e.g., “Can McCain Close the Gap?” or “Who’s in Charge in Moscow?” or “Where’s the Economy Going?” Articles that convey information are reflected in assertive headlines. Thumb-sucking ruminations lend themselves to question marks.
Shun writers who lean on fatigued word combinations to signify sophistication.
Examples:
- “Across the pond,” to suggest intimacy with Anglo-American matters.
- “The devil is in the details,” to indicate deep knowledge of complex topics.
- “Between a rock and a hard place,” to indicate a difficult situation.
- “Cut to the chase,” to announce a focus on essentials.
These once were sprightly phrases, but over-use has drained their impact, leaving them only as handy tools for arthritic minds.
Beware of medical-miracle stories. The mystique of science and the desire for good news easily merge on the topic of frightful diseases, making cures, or hints of cures, a staple of contemporary news reporting. To avoid wasting your reading time, quickly scan such reports for the following essential cues of reliability: How many subjects were in the trial? Who paid for the trial? Who ran it? And where was it published? Small numbers of trial subjects should invite doubts, as should financing by a pharmaceutical manufacturer. The latter objection might be countered by strong evidence of independent control of the trial, but you can’t be sure. Publication in a recognizable journal is a plus, but they get fooled, too. In general, claims of great leaps forward in medicine merit skepticism, as they rarely occur.
The use of anonymous sources has been so discredited in recent times that reliance on this easily abused technique has been severely curbed by many news organizations. Nonetheless, anonymity survives, even in newspapers and other outlets that have pledged restraint in use of unnamed sources. The need for anonymity in delivering important news to the public is rare but real in some instances. For readers, distinguishing manufactured information from the real stuff is difficult. The best approach is to read carefully but reserve judgment when unnamed sources are cited on important matters.
So, for readers who want to get out from between a rock and a hard place and cut to the chase….
