31 Comments
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Carly Jean Puch's avatar

Love this! I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Thanks so much for reading! I hope it helps (both of us!) keep me posted if you take any actions. ❤️

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Tauna B's avatar

I’m in. It’s too much and leaving no room for appropriate processing.

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Yay! Keep me posted on how it goes!

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Miéya Oladipupo's avatar

You put in words what I've been needing, "room for appropriate processing".

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Yay!! Yes. Let's gooooo!! Keep me posted if you take any actions and how you feel afterwards.

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Miéya Oladipupo's avatar

I'm in! ✊🏾

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Halifax Brighten's avatar

Never heard of Allsides.com. Thanks for the rec! I also have the value of building bridges. I know having the influence to persuade people away from their wrong takes requires understanding of where they are coming from and what values are motivating them. If you don’t know how their news is being framed to them, you risk missing the mark with discussions! I look forward to taking your challenge! Thanks for your post! Helpful and inspiring as always!

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Thanks so much ❤️❤️❤️

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Me, Myself, & the Voices's avatar

I have been working on this for the past month or so out of pure anxiety survival mode.

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Sending hugs. Let me know how it's going and if any of the tips help!

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Nealey Dozier Thompson's avatar

Love this! I have so many different sources feeding me basically the same content, but I have to say it’s not the news that spins me into a tailspin so much as finding myself a few minutes deep in some pretty awful comments. I’m liberal, but all the liberal commentators get just as nasty as the far right, and it just makes us all look bad in the end. So I need to detox from too much news and not even check the comments!

I check All Sides fairly often, but I would really love a news source that that weaves all that information (pros and cons/both sides views) into an educational piece that really helps me see things clearly. (Not deep dives, just concise, well-rounded coverage.) Does it exist??

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

First - YES! Someone once told me "the comments section is where empathy goes to die" and I think about that all the time.

Ohhhh, that's such a great question! And honestly, it feels like what you're describing - concise, truly balanced coverage that educates rather than inflames - is the holy grail we're all searching for.

BBC, AP, and Reuters do solid reporting, but you're right that they don't quite deliver that "here's what both sides are actually saying and why" format you're looking for.

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Okay. I think I found a news source that might do the trick.

Have you tried Ground News? It shows you how the same story is covered across the entire political spectrum. Their "Blindspot" feature flags stories you're missing based on your usual news diet.

It's not perfect, but for seeing "here's how everyone is talking about this" - it's fantastic. And NO COMMENTS SECTION to fall into!

https://ground.news/

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Nealey Dozier Thompson's avatar

Thanks for replying! Yes to all of these, I check AP news and BBC first as well as the Gaurdian, but I still fall into information bias.

I have been using ChatGPT to filter news topics for me, and I prompt it to give me non bias news with pros and cons from both sides of the aisle. It usually gives the information in a very easy to understand format, and you can prompt it to dive further as needed. Butttt, I also feel pretty terrible using AI in general, so there’s some guilt there. Uggg.

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Oh the guilt of new tech. I feel ya! Check out ground news and let me know what you think! ❤️❤️

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Liza P's avatar

Ok! Let’s do this 💪🏽

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

YESSSS!!! ❤️❤️❤️

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Catherine De Spain's avatar

I’m in😊 This was very helpful & hope filled. Just what I needed! Thank you very much for all the good you’re doing, Sophia! I’m going to sign up for a paid subscription today. I encourage anyone else who’s able, to do so as well.

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Awe! Thank you so much Catherine! I appreciate your support. This substack is a labor of love... because I can't bake, plant gardens, or fix cars. 🤣🤣🤣. In all seriousness, keep me posted on if any of the actions from this week are helpful!

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Catherine De Spain's avatar

Awe! You’re very welcome, Sophia! And not only are you brilliant but hilarious as well! I’m not a natural at those things either so you’re not alone🥰😂 And I have already experienced more calm & a renewed sense of hope from your share of these thoughtful actions. I also shared your post with loved ones that like me, didn’t know about that website allsides.com It’s helped us all already! Thank you again! Have a wonderful week ahead🤗

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

😭Thanks for the note and for sharing!!! ❤️❤️

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Catherine De Spain's avatar

You’re welcome! Have the best day possible😊💕

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Rachel Allen's avatar

This couldn’t have come at a better time

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Yay!!!

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Roxy Sheridan's avatar

Really helpful. After the big ugly bill passed, I have taken a break from the news (mostly), feeling disgusted & defeated. (It’s temporary, like AOC, I’ll fight Nazis til I’m 6 feet under.

Tomorrow I hit reset. Your post comes at just the right time. I appreciate your reminder about AllSides.com. Thank you for your persistence & care.

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Aw. thank you for reading! I'm so glad it's helpful. Hang in there. ❤️❤️❤️

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LindyLoo's avatar

Thank you for your challenge. I needed this today. I will be thinking of you.

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Yay!!!! Likewise!!!

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Paul T Shattuck, MSW, PhD's avatar

I’m in. Love this post! Folks might also find this helpful:

Stay Sane: 80 Tiny Moves to Resist Digital Despair and News Overwhelm in the Trump Era

Tiny moves live in the terrain between hypervigilance and retreat. They keep us agile and motivated.

https://paultshattuck.substack.com/p/stay-sane-80-tiny-moves-to-resist

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Sophia Fifner's avatar

Thanks Paul!! Also, thank for sharing the article as well. I look forward to checking it out!

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