People Really Can Live In Different Universes Based on Their News Sources

For years, we have heard claims that people can live in different information universes based on their news sources, and what those sources do or do not report. I have thought that was likely an exaggeration. But this morning I learned that really might be true.

I had seen an article claiming that CNN abruptly cut its feed during the White House press conference with Tulsi Gabbard (Wednesday, July 23) on the documents purporting to show former president Obama’s involvement in the development of the Russia collusion story. I considered that the article I was reading might be exaggerating. Now, I can’t recreate the live CNN feed, so I can’t verify the article’s claim, but I looked at the CNN website to see how they reported the issue (both the press conference and the underlying controversy and investigation). As of 8:00 am Central Time, Thursday (July 24), the only mention I could find on CNN’s website (main page, and U.S. and Politics tabs) of anything close to the Russia collusion story was a brief sidebar video of Sen. Lisa Murkowski “question[ing] whether Gabbard releasing the report on Obama is an effort to distract from Epstein fallout.” There are lots of CNN pixels (with center top positioning) on the Epstein files story and how that story is a catastrophe for the Trump administration. Lots of pixels also on the sentencing of the man convicted of murdering several students in Idaho.

So, someone who relies on CNN for their news might not even be aware that there is any story about whether Obama and his administration were involved in developing and pushing the Russia collusion story.

I was astonished that CNN didn’t even mention the issue. I expected them, as partisan Democrats, to report the White House claims and then provide a long explanation of why the claims are bunk. But, no. They just ignore the story.

While on the CNN site, I also noticed that there was no mention of anything related to any investigations into whether there was a coordinated effort to cover up the mental condition of former president Biden.

I then checked the ABC, CBS, and NBC news sites. Based on the homepage real estate, they also consider the Epstein files controversy as THE most important story, and the Idaho murderer’s sentencing the second most important domestic story. Only NBC even mentions the Obama Russia collusion story, and that was only to provide a response from Obama. ABC and CBS did not (as far as I could find) even mention the story.

I also did not see anything on any of ABC, CBS, or NBC about issues surrounding the mental state of Biden and the investigations into whether there was a coordinated effort by certain people to hide his mental state from government officials and the public.

Many politicians and commentators (not just those out on the ideological fringes) are saying the Obama Russia collusion story and the Biden mental state cover-up story are two of the biggest presidential scandals in American history (greater than Watergate). I imagine that information revealed in the future may soften the current impression that Barack Obama led a concerted effort to push a fabricated Russia collusion story to undermine the first Trump administration. Heretofore unknown information may also cast doubt on whether there really was a coordinated effort to hide the mental state of Joe Biden during his presidency. And I would understand (and even expect) the pro-Democratic party media (CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, et al.) to spend lots of space explaining why the White House, Republican Party, and “conservative” media are wrong in their claims about Obama and the Russia collusion story and about hiding Biden’s mental state. But to completely ignore the stories? And still call themselves “news” sources? That’s really leaving their audience in the dark.

I offer this set of anecdotes so that y’all are prepared when you interact with your friends, relatives, and acquaintances who rely on the “mainstream” (or "legacy") media: they may not even be aware of two stories that many people consider the two most significant presidential scandals in American history. People who rely on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc. live in a different information universe than those who rely on Fox News, Townhall, Newsmax, Daily Wire, etc.