OUR HOSTS: 

Corinne Foxx - @corinnefoxx

Natalie McMillan - @nataliemcm and @shopnataliemcmillan 

What we're drinking: Rafael Cambra Soplo 

TOPIC: 

In the history of humanity, we’ve never been exposed to this much daily information about global tragedies. It can be really hard to escape the stressful headlines, and even harder to get accurate information. Today, we’re talking all about how to navigate the news, fact check your sources, and cope with the 24-hour news cycle. We discuss how we protect our mental health by limiting our daily consumption and overall screen time. We also share our favorite news outlets and sites for figuring out facts vs. opinions. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Discerning clickbait headlines from actual news 
• Times that we’ve been guilty of speaking too soon on a topics 
• How the news affects our mental health 
• Why it’s a good idea to check local news sources before big publications 
• Our go-to coping skills for dealing with bad news 
• Why we like to listen to the news instead of watch it on TV 

RESOURCES MENTIONED: 

• Episode 8: The Tea on Anxiety: How To Manage & Cope 
• Episode 15: How To Avoid Being a Superspreader of Misinformation with WHO Consultant Simone St. Claire 
• Media Bias Chart
• factcheck.org 
• politifact.com 
• snopes.com 
• theskimm.com 
• upworthy.com 
• Up First NPR Podcast 

END OF THE SHOW: 

Corinne and Natalie introduce Hottie of the Week: Anderson Cooper

WINE RATING:

Rafael Cambra Soplo  = 9 / Anderson Cooper

WRAP UP:

To wrap up the episode, we play Citizen’s Arrest. The movie industry is on the top of Nat’s list because every movie that comes out these days is 2+ hours long. Corinne is sick of CVS with their long receipts and aggressive automatic prescription reminder, plus Nat can’t stand the lack of privacy when speaking with pharmacists. 

We have a newsletter for our Am I community. You can sign up for the newsletter on our website: amidoingthisrightpod.com

You can email us for episode ideas or Random Advice: amidoingthisrightpod@gmail.com

Follow us on Instagram: @amidoingthisrightpod 

Don't forget to rate and review the podcast! It really helps us grow!

[00:00:05] Natalie McMillan: And I'm Natalie McMillan.

[00:00:17] Natalie McMillan: And each week we cover a new topic and we drink a new bottle of wine.

[00:00:40] Natalie McMillan: say, I think part of my anxiety manifests in me seeking

Like if something bad happens, I'm so worried about it. I have to. From the perspective of a non-experts any tweak, we cover a new topic and we drink a new bottle of wine. Yes, we do not. And this week we are talking something that we all have to learn how to do, because it's tough. It's everywhere. It's all the time.

And we are talking how to navigate. The news and how to navigate the news. We're going to be talking how the news affects our mental health, how to fact check your news sources and how to cope with bad news, because

[00:01:11] Corinne Foxx: feels like. It is constant. It's all the time. It's everywhere.

It's in your face. Everyone's talking about it. So

[00:01:19] Corinne Foxx: manage it, how to, how to navigate, how to navigate it, but you know, what is

[00:01:26] Corinne Foxx: yes, I'm so excited. We've been talking about this for a while that we wanted to read some of our reviews on the air.

So you guys, if you left us a review, This could be yours. I'm going to read a couple of our favorites. Okay. So we had one review that read fun and informative. I'm so glad I found this podcast. It's super fun. And

oh, she also says, I think you girls need to try some wine slushies on one of your shows. I'm not opposed. I don't, what is a wine slushie?

[00:02:12] Corinne Foxx: that in my life.

That's right. You are absolutely a hundred percent, right. We need to try some wine slushies and we're on

[00:02:20] Corinne Foxx: hot. It's getting caught out here, here

You needed confused about taxes. They got, you don't know anything about crypto. They got, you need a new wine recommendation. They got you. It's highly educational and informative as well as entertaining. Keep it up, lady. That one's, that was a very hype woman has

They got you. Boom. But I mean, oh my gosh, you are our little sister slash little cousin. Love it. Okay. And this last review we're going to read, says love this podcast. I recently moved. California from Virginia. And this podcast has really helped me get my life together and keep things in order. I listened to it all the time.

Thanks for the great advice, Natalie and oh, smiley face. Oh my gosh. I'm so excited for this new little transition in your life. Welcome to Campbell. Yeah. Where are you at? Where are you that you guys. To leave us a review. You can on apple podcasts and we might read yours. Yeah, right here. Live on here. Give us some

I love five stars. I kind of think I, when I think about it, I think she also had the emoji of like the hand, like a five God. I love,

[00:04:01] Natalie McMillan: We are drinking. It is the soap low. And to be honest, I don't know what type of wine this is. It is from Spain, from Valencia, Spain.

And it's just a red, it seems like it's just a red, I'm excited. So, okay. So blow there's no year it could be from anytime, anywhere. Well it's from Spain was, uh,

[00:04:35] Natalie McMillan: I didn't have a Wowza.

[00:04:39] Natalie McMillan: That's what she said,

And you normally skip about. Eight songs in a row. You're like, no, no, no. All my music doesn't fit the vibe. No, but I have all my music from like seventh grade. Yes. On my

[00:05:03] Corinne Foxx: apple music. So it's all my old chants. Well, it actually worked for my benefit because I was skipping, skipping, skipping, and then a song came up and I thought this is a normal skip song.

[00:05:26] Natalie McMillan: 2007. Was it grills by Nellie

[00:05:32] Natalie McMillan: scary, close. Ms. New booty

[00:05:38] Natalie McMillan: Wall.

It's Nelly it's.

[00:05:46] Natalie McMillan: God. I loved

[00:05:52] Natalie McMillan: Hi Tanya,

[00:05:59] Natalie McMillan: mine. This is my mine. I'm not cause I'm tired. You ain't getting. Incredible memes. Wasn't it? Men look at the artists.

It was like, mm, mm, mm. Yeah. Mims Mims.

[00:06:21] Natalie McMillan: black. That's the only way to go. That's the only way to go. Oh my God. It put

Yeah.

[00:06:40] Corinne Foxx: I. So now, do you want to get into why we chose this episode?

[00:06:47] Corinne Foxx: love when you request the love. When you guys interact with us, we just

So she says, I think it would be awesome to do an episode about how to stay informed about current events and politics while still managing anxiety that comes.

[00:07:06] Natalie McMillan: I want you to be informed, but some of the news has been affecting my mental health. That part

Oh yeah. So we thought it was perfect to dive into, since it seems like we're all constantly being fed terrible news. All sides of the world. Plus with the rise of social media and websites like Reddit, it can be really hard to escape the stressful headlines and even harder to get accurate information.

We obviously love being informed on this show. We love a fact. We will have a fact, but we are also mental health advocates, and we know that there's a balance to maintain your mental health while also staying up to date on the news. So let's just dive into how to navigate it all. And. Per usual, let's start with some facts, hit them with some facts.

[00:08:12] Corinne Foxx: links

What's the psychological impact of all this exposure to tragedy at a distance. Wow. According to Mary McNaughton castle, a professor at the university of Texas San Antonio and leading researcher on the connection between media consumption and stress. She says consuming the news. Won't give you PTSD anxiety or depression.

If you weren't predisposed towards those conditions,

[00:08:55] Natalie McMillan: um, Q 20, 20, we have all been traumatized. So causation is tricky here. It may simply be that depressed or anxious. People are more likely to seek out bad news and bad news. Could internal worsen the effects of those conditions in certain

I will say, I think part of my anxiety manifests in me seeking out bad news. Like if something bad happens, I'm so worried about it. I have to. Look it up over, cause I don't want anything to happen to me. So I to know exactly the terms of like, how did this tragedy happen and how did all these people get hurt and how can I

And was there an update as of two minutes ago? No, let me refresh.

Oh my goodness. I literally thought that was wrong on here. I was like, that's correct. Oh my God. Yeah. So this figure was 180% in Italy, 125% in, in Thailand, 78% in Japan and 52% in Australia. So America, we are above and beyond. It

[00:10:25] Corinne Foxx: and this tells us that no matter where you are in the world, though, we are all consuming more news than we have in history.

[00:10:35] Natalie McMillan: right. And actually something my therapist said, she said, you need to keep in mind that while war and civil unrest and natural disasters and all of that, it's all been going on. Forever. Yeah. But all of it, wasn't televised and more than. All at the same time, you know what I mean?

We've never in the history of humanity have been exposed to this much tragic information daily, and that can be so overwhelming in itself because back in the day before there was a 24 7 news cycle. Most people only got their local news. Or maybe like the country, but not the,

Right. And that was it.

[00:11:25] Corinne Foxx: It's a lot. It's a lot, Natalie.

[00:11:33] Corinne Foxx: How do we do it? How do we do it? Well, number one, we need to remember that the news is sensationalized.

It is a form of entertainment. We have to remember that. According to an article in the cut news outlets, facing pressure from the endless, like you were saying, multiplying array of competitors, all zeroing in on the same stories, they now have a greater incentive than ever before to ramp up their coverage of scary, emotionally wrenching stories, because that's what pulls people in.

And they're going to keep reading and everyone else on longer, and their competitors are doing that. So they're like, how can. Our story a little bit more sensational. How do we make our story a little bit more darker? So I think we just, it's very useful for us to see the bigger picture consciously focused yourself on the evidence around you, that the news is picking out the extremes and the bad things.

That's actually from the. The professor not in castle. Yes, exactly. So in other words, understand that you're seeing a lot of bad news, not because that the world is inherently evil place, though. It seems like it, if you don't like it, but it's because of newsletter outlets, not to mention like individual Twitter and Facebook users, like we can get into the lot, you know, they also have a lot of incentives to broadcast explosively, negative news stories.

Love you. Love you too. Love you tube. They give me all these wild things. And so I, it was a three-minute clip. I watched the whole thing. She never once said how she, the first night how they met it was not even in. Yeah, they both told me

[00:13:25] Natalie McMillan: the, no. So off of that, another way to navigate the news is to be your own backed checker.

So according to a new survey by pew research center, maybe daddy, daddy, pew research center, most Americans suspect that made up news is having an impact. Yeah. Hello, about two and three us adults. So 64% say fabricated news stories. Cause a great deal of confusion about the basic facts of current issues and events.

And some Americans say they themselves have shared fake news. Overall 23% say they have shared a made up news story with 14% saying they shared a story they knew was fake at the time. Ooh.

[00:14:10] Natalie McMillan: that's. And 16% having shared a story, they later realized was fake

It was a, and we were okay.

[00:14:26] Corinne Foxx: We were all bamboozles. But when the Jessie Smollett thing happened, I immediately, I didn't fact check, I didn't really know the circumstances. I posted a photo of justice and space on my Instagram and was like, this is what's wrong with America and dah, dah, dah.

And then like two days later when they were like, yeah, I know I was like, delete,

[00:14:48] Corinne Foxx: I know we all did that, but that was something I was like, damn Kerryn. I don't want to be a part of the problem. Yeah. I definitely didn't like look into all the facts. I didn't wait until somebody was convicted guilty.

I immediately just like hopped on this bandwagon. Yeah. And you know, I always wanna say. My community.

[00:15:09] Corinne Foxx: it's tough

[00:15:14] Corinne Foxx: one thing that I really love to do normally with fact checking the news, especially during the elections and things like this, which is actually very interesting is I check my news from left to right.

So. We all know new sources have their own biases. And so I like to get different POV's from, you know, different news outlets to get the full scope of how society is reacting to a certain situation. There's actually this really, really cool chart on media bias that we will link in our show notes that have.

Scale of all of the media outlets and it's like the most right. The most left what's in between what's actually a neutral source. W like it was just, it was like, um, just like a ranging scale. And I think it's important for you to know that. And like, I was flipping between CNN and Fox news, which are obviously the two most holler, but it was so interesting to see how they were reporting the same story on the

[00:16:11] Corinne Foxx: Oh, just throughout the election. I do it all the time. Whenever anything big, like kind of polarizing happens. I see how they're covering it. Also. I'm just curious, like how other people are thinking about this, you know, it's like a whole

[00:16:25] Corinne Foxx: Yeah. Another way to fact check your news is to check credentials.

So is the author specified in the field that the article is concerned with? Does he or she, or they currently work in that field and you can check LinkedIn or you can do. Google search to see if the author can speak about the subject with authority and accuracy

[00:16:48] Corinne Foxx: Yes.

Another thing you can do to fact check is to check the date. So like eggs and milk information can have an expiration date. And in most cases, you know, you want to use the most up to date information you can find. And I have this issue with one of my dad's friends who posted an article and it was. He was like, oh my God, can you believe this?

Blah, blah, blah. I was talking about something and we're not getting into it now. But the article was dated like two years ago. And there was more up to date information that had like completely dispelled what he was talking about. And I was sending, I was like, please delete your story. So here's something, that's an update.

That completely clears

[00:17:34] Corinne Foxx: it's inaccurate. I also was like, here's a link to a fact checking site. Here's this like, please do not read this. Please.

So another thing is to check the source. So when an article cites sources, it's good to check them out. Sometimes official sounding associations are really biased. They might be like think tanks or represent only a fringe view of a group of people. If you can't find sources, read as much about the topic as you can to get a feel for what's already out there and decide for yourself if the article is accurate or not.

Hmm. Also examine URLs. We see quite a bit of domain manipulation these days. So for example, what looks like a.edu, if it's followed by like a.ceo or L O it's likely fake or a deceptive site, if you're seeing a slightly variant version of a well-known URL, do a little investigating, you know, if you're like, Hmm, that doesn't look right.

Yeah. Is bottom line is beat, judge it hard. Okay. If what you're reading seems too good to be true or too weird or too reactionary probably is

According to the fair media council organization, being able to distinguish the difference between fact and opinion is the basic foundation needed to successfully navigate today's complicated media landscape. Yet studies tell us this is a real weakness in our culture. Some say. As many as one out of two college graduates, can't distinguish between fact and opinion.

Other studies say as much as 70% of the American population struggles with this. Oh, well, we've got to figure this out, this shit out. Y'all a really, really great way though, to help you fact check. There's actually a few different resources that you can use, which we'll link in our show notes. One.

Www.factcheck.org. It's a product of the Annenberg public policy center. And this site is useful for checking on political claims. So it will do all the research for you can go in there and it's like, okay, no, that actually isn't, they didn't say that. Been edited, whatever. So that's a really great source you can use.

There's also Politico, which the Pulitzer prize, winning PolitiFact researches the claims of politicians and again, checks their accuracy. And the last one, which I love my mom showed this to me when I was like 10 years old. And I've been using it ever since snopes.com. Yeah. It's one of the oldest debunking sites on the internet.

snopes.com focuses on urban legends. News stories means like they have a bunch of different stuff on there, but they also cite their resources at the end of each debunking. So it'll be like Snopes it's fact or fate. Yeah. Love

So for example, when Sandy hook happened, which I just realized. A decade ago, which is insane to me, but the community news sources in that area, we're airing and publishing news updates that we're running as much as two hours ahead of the national news outlets. So before you start, you know, listening to CNN and stuff, maybe just check out.

The town and see, cause they'll have the most accurate updated information are on the ground. They are boots on the

So while the stress inducing capability of the news has always existed to some extent, it's more of a problem now. Since the news is so much more easily accessible than it used to be. It's it's everywhere. It's everywhere with our smart, within reach nearly 24 7. There's always a temptation to do a quick scroll through our feeds to get the latest information.

And sometimes it's not even intentional. Like sometimes you're like blind and you're like, oh my God, I'm on Twitter. And I'm reading this whole thread and why am I here? So maybe you go to your phone to message a friend or calculate, you know, a bill or up to your calendar and yeah, again, the next thing and out you're like checking the news.

So to avoid the problem, one mental health expert told very well mine.com. It can be helpful to limit your daily media consumption. She recommends 8 39. Daily limit for both news and social media. But I would just say news, like if you were just like 30 minutes a day, I can look at the news. I can catch up, let me see

And then

Yeah, exactly. So you kind of want your brain to have time to just decompress from the world. So setting a little time for yourself, like after this time, no more, no, no

So think of written stories as the first place to get your news then turned to radio and TV. Updates on bad news because today the typical television news story runs about two minutes long while the average radio report is a full-blown 35 seconds. So this tells us that obviously radio and TV can't possibly give all the necessary information.

So reading first is critical. The reason these formats are so short and put into bite-sized clips of information is because our attention span while watching TV. Short and it's getting shorter. So maybe you can watch the news to hear opinions rather than actually get the information we recommend. The skim actually it's a daily newsletter highlighting major news around the world and they give a very general digestible and brief description of the news.

Horrific factors like seeing the visual, like a small child, like ginger, because they're going to show you the worst possible thing. So one thing that I really love as I love up first by NPR it's I think it's like 13 minutes. It kind of goes over all of the different, like highlights of the new stories.

And then you like, get the facts you get what's going on, you get a temperature read, but you're not seeing. Horror right. And the very graphic images thing in the morning. Right? Exactly. Another thing that I love to do is seek out happiness. So when I was actually experiencing a lot of anxiety from the news, I found this website called up order.

The, that changed my game. Follow them on Instagram. So Upworthy is a website dedicated to positive storytelling, delivering the best of humanity every day. Um, and so they have a lot of really just great uplifting articles. Some of which I actually wrote down a few of their headlines. This is what we should be following.

So one other headline says this company it's about a company. This company makes it easier than ever to go carbon neutral, click that click. Another one says a new company is going to say. $30 vials of insulin, no insurance needed click double clack. Another article they have is like, what's it like growing up with LGBT parents?

This kid has the best response ever. Like, if you want some positive news in your life, go full Upworthy. God we'll link it in the show notes. Yeah.

The most obvious, most potent and often the most difficult thing to do. Is to avoid it entirely. So just turn all of it off. There's no doubt that turning off the news will make you feel better. However, it can be extremely difficult. Sometimes the media sensationalizes, the news often making it feel like an addiction.

Also, we can experience a certain amount of guilt or feeling selfish when we remove our. From those distressing stories.

[00:26:45] Natalie McMillan: like be like, oh, you're selfish.

[00:26:50] Natalie McMillan: True. So turn off your CNN alerts, delete the Twitter app and avoid televised news. Try for 30 minutes, then push for 45. Then an hour slowly. Build up your time. Distancing yourself from the news. It will feel uncomfortable and hard at first, but ultimately it will give you some peace of mind. Sometimes it can feel selfish to avoid the news and the media has made it feel like we're responsible for fixing everything that's happening in the world.

But remember, you're just one person and your mental health is more important than reading a headline. Also remember. You're never going to quote unquote, miss the news, anything of major importance you will hear about somehow

He's like, I'm going to find out I'm going to go to work. People are going

[00:27:43] Corinne Foxx: You're going to see it somewhere. Yeah. If it's like major enough, you're not. Not know about it. Exactly. So don't feel that guilt you guys, and we hope you guys learned more about how to fact check your news sources, how the news affects our mental health and coping strategies for dealing with bad news.

And I want to thank our listener for writing in and asking for this episode. I think it's super important for so many people, um, and hopefully very, very helpful. So now should we get into. The

[00:28:19] Corinne Foxx: Red

[00:28:21] Corinne Foxx: intro our Hottie?

He's such a cutie is none other than Mr. Anderson Cooper. Silver Fox. He's on the story. He's on the case. He's on the ground. He really is

[00:28:42] Corinne Foxx: So one, two Anderson. Um, what are we reading this?

[00:28:52] Corinne Foxx: God, I wish I had more words other than interesting. Interesting. I can't explain it. It just felt like there was a party in my mouth. Like there was a lot of flavors, a lot. It was, uh, like, um, like what, what were those little gummies?

You slashers Gushers. It felt like a gusher.

[00:29:11] Corinne Foxx: I feel like I need a state. Yes, this would be fantastic with a steak like steak and fry. Oh, hell yeah. That was, that is the moment for the, in a dimly lit room. Yes. That's the moment for this. I think it's hard for me to connect to it because it's 3:50 PM

[00:29:33] Corinne Foxx: Yeah. So I don't, I don't not like it I'd give it like a nine. I'm going

[00:29:46] Corinne Foxx: Nine out of Anderson Cooper.

all right. This is the part of the episode. We play a little wrap-up game and we're playing everyone's favorite citizens arrest. Did it. That's my gun now.

[00:30:08] Corinne Foxx: okay. Now do you want to say.

[00:30:19] Corinne Foxx: Oh my God.

Okay. Why? Oh, I know, I know. You've been saying this a lot lately actually.

[00:30:31] Corinne Foxx: The remakes. Oh yeah.

[00:30:41] Corinne Foxx: here's my, here's my tip. I'm like when I see that and I go.

Somewhere in here, I'm gonna squeeze in a 20 minute nap and I, you dear that you, she does do it. Always do a 20 minute nap somewhere. And I'm telling you right now, I never miss a plot line because there is about 20 to 30 minutes. We don't need.

[00:31:05] Corinne Foxx: off.

Yeah. It's getting pretty ridiculous. And it's like, we don't want to be there that long. I need like to enjoy the movie, but I can't because I'm stuck

You go in when it's light and you leave when it's nighttime. And

[00:31:39] Natalie McMillan: Well, you could, I could, it did take me almost a full hour to eat a case of DIA, like two days ago.

Okay. Not

It's it's, it's like a scarf

[00:32:16] Corinne Foxx: use that. But here's the thing. It's the reason that it's so long is because they're giving you great deals and they don't want you to look at them. You're not yet paid. It was just short. And it said, Hey, you got $10 off.

You would actually use it. But because it's about seven miles long, you just you're comfortable at you just crumble it and throw it away. Indian convenience. So I realize that's part of their shtick. Yeah. Because there are great deals on them. My God, they're so good, but it's way too fucking long. The other one that me and Natalie are both victims of is their automatic prescription reminder.

Very aggressive or

[00:32:58] Corinne Foxx: Ma'am we're putting this back on the shelf. If you I'm like

[00:33:02] Corinne Foxx: It's funny life CBS. I can not be at your Beck and call when you call me, I supposed to come run like independent woman.

I'm an independent

[00:33:15] Corinne Foxx: I wish I could text back to the little bot? Like

[00:33:18] Corinne Foxx: alone, leave me alone. I'll come when I, and when I'm ready. Yes. How about when I need the prescription? Why is the prescription available four weeks before I need it?

And then if

[00:33:28] Corinne Foxx: put a back and you get there and there and they're

[00:33:37] Corinne Foxx: need to be held

And they just like, yell out what you're getting the rash cream man. Is this for you? And you're just like, Um, yeah. Why did they do that? Put everyone on 'cause the

[00:34:09] Natalie McMillan: the first, I don't need that.

Don't tell me don't scream. And then you go

[00:34:16] Natalie McMillan: You know, like take one in the morning I can read. Oh my, okay, thanks. So I'm high. I'm not hot and bothered. And me thinking about CVS,

They

[00:34:33] Corinne Foxx: All right. You guys. Well, if you liked this episode and you want more, we actually have an episode on how to avoid being. Super spreader of misinformation with a world health organization, consultant Simone St. Claire that's episode 15. If you want to go back and listen to it, we also have an episode on the T on anxiety, how to manage and cope your anxiety.

That's episode eight. If you want to go back and listen to it. Oh, eight. I know we're on episode. God. No, no, that was Wayne, but there's more basically, there's more where that came from is what I'm saying. And if you love this. Go ahead and give us a little rate and review moment. We love them. And Ivy, we will read them if, and when we feel like,

All right. You