The airwaves, and the Web, obviously feature lots of people offering their opinions on what's wrong with society, what causes social problems, and how to solve social problems like poverty and gun violence.
Do these popular television commentators, YouTubers, and radio hosts know what they are talking about? Do they care? Does it matter? No, no it doesn't. The reason is simply that they are peddling misinformation and lies. It does not matter if they know what they are doing, or not.
What matters is they are polluting the airwaves or the web with ignorance, pseudoscience, and propaganda. This is why we should not engage with trashy "analysts" and "commentators" whether on the Left or the Right. Doing so gives these people increased engagement. They like this because it affects their ad revenue. Many of these "analysts" exist only to make money by selling ads. It was true in the glory days of conservative talk radio and it is true in the glory days of online content creation.
What's the Problem?
Let's go back to the issues of intellectual dishonesty and intellectual laziness. Which prominent vloggers, podcasters, television pundits, and radio personalities are guilty of each. Most of them are probably guilty of both laziness and dishonesty at different times. But, that is fine. Why?
Why do their programs exist? Education is not the reason. They are not trying to share reliable data and expert analysis so you can understand the debate over guns or immigration or whatever. The point is almost always to keep their audience listening, so advertising time becomes worth more money. Their real job is not to inform but to engage.
Consequences
How much time have you spent watching X or Y to understand their views or the views of the "other side" in the past year? Arguably, all of that time was wasted. You could have learned about the issue from real sources. Whether the pundits were going on about gun control, climate change, violent crime, illegal immigration, or the Democrats' socialist agenda (which is not something that exists in the real world) you could have learned real things in less time by studying mainstream sources.
The Futility of Online Engagement
There is little or nothing to be gained by commenting on the videos or Tweeting at them and challenging comments. This is necessarily true for two reasons, one kind of obvious and one not obvious at all.
First of all, you don't know how well the comments represent the opinions or knowledge of the mainstream. Who comments on these videos and articles? It is hard to know how many of these people are trolls, how many are idiots, and how many are fanatics who miss no opportunity to opine. You see kooks from the Left and the Right chiming in. There are both liberal and conservative equivalents of Young Earth Creationists and Flat Earthers.
The second problem we face is related to the first one. Do the people who weigh in represent anyone other than the lunatic fringe or the loudest and dumbest segment? You can't possibly know. It would take some savvy research to find out how far off the mainstream the comments have really meandered.
The more contentious the issue, the more caution is warranted when reading the comments. You might come away from the comments section of an article on gun control believing that most conservatives are fanatics, or most liberals are fanatics. In fact, you've read the comments of a few percent of people who read the article. You may have subconsciously filtered out some neutral comments or some thoughtful pro-gun comments as well.
Fighting Back
If you want to fight the tide of intellectual dishonesty or laziness amongst the pundit class, I am afraid there are no good options. Boycotting their advertisers and writing to tell them why you did that, is a realistic option.
If you have the resources and skills, start your own podcast and teach people how to think effectively about social issues or climate change, or making good social policy or whatever. Pick a niche and run with it.
Comment on blog posts and news articles. Here, without much time or trouble, you can share facts or an alternative explanation that's backed up by experts. Point to peer-reviewed research that contradicts the propaganda. Share a lesson on cause-effect thinking or statistical thinking or whatever fits the article or video in question.
Save Time, Save Trouble
In short, stay away from pundits' shows unless you want some politically-themed entertainment. You might learn a few things about the "other" side but it is important to put realistic limits on what you can learn.
If you want to know what "the other side" thinks about gun control, look at research from Pew and Gallup. If you want to know about crime and race or crime and guns, look to the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control.
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