Have you checked out New Yorker Goes West? I’m writing all about my new chapter in California, as a lifelong New Yorker.
This is not your average travel blog. This is an intimate look into what it’s like to leave the life you’ve always known behind and begin a new one, miles away.
Will I share great recommendations for fish tacos? Of course.
Will I tell you about my favorite comfort shows? Absolutely.
Will it all be sunshine and palm trees and smiles and Instagrammable selfies? Nope.
But yeah, there is quite a bit of sunshine. And palm trees. I’m a fan.
With over a decade of experience in print and digital media, Kevin McSpadden is a seasoned journalist adept at crafting engaging and informative stories. Kevin’s background as a writer, copyeditor, and production manager has instilled in him the value of teamwork, attention to detail, and a commitment to fair reporting.
Kevin has navigated diverse environments—from dynamic digital startups to established newspaper brands—and successfully built a thriving freelancing career along the way.
Kevin is the founding writer of , here on Substack.“A6 aims to bring nuance to the way we think about the world and was born out of a simple premise: The way we consume news amplifies the most important stories but buries smaller updates that help us understand what is happening in the world.”
There is so much I could say about this mind-expanding, thought-provoking conversation, but at the same time - I really want to let it speak for itself.
I will say this; it’s no secret that we are less than a week away from a very consequential election here in the U.S. I have plenty of very strong, personal opinions about this election, the candidates, and America at large. I’ve been very vocal about that.
This is not a conversation about my or Kevin’s opinions, the importance of voting, or who to vote for, but rather, the role of journalism and how politics are covered.
It’s incredibly important to be critical and discerning about where we’re getting our news and our facts, at a time when there is so much at stake.
Thank you so, so much for this conversation,
.Leave us a comment and tell us what you think of this chat! Opinions *and* best versions of facts welcome :)
QUOTES
“Election cycles exemplify the best and worst of authentic journalism.”
“When big topics (the US election) drown out everything else, we often forget that the world keeps turning regardless of what the US thinks. That's why I started A6, to try and highlight how the world moves without America.”
“I would challenge the notion that authenticity should make its way into news. I actually think it's a major problem in modern news. We've allowed people's personalities to come front and center and have blurred the line between punditry and journalism.”
“The world moves regardless of whether or not the media stops to look at it.”
“There's something to be said about people doing the best that they can to figure out what's going on.”
“If any industry needs diversity, it’s journalism. The fact that it wasn’t diverse for so long is embarrassing.”
“The role of convincing someone vs. laying out the facts of things hopefully gives people something to think about in discussions around politics and news.”
“If there’s one side that says it’s not raining, and one side that says it’s raining, a journalist’s job is to go outside and see if it’s raining.”
TAKEAWAYS
Read newspapers! They are hard to find, but bookstores typically carry them. Newspapers present the news in a format that cools the temperature of everything. It also clearly distinguishes fact from opinion.
Be critical of what’s an opinion vs. what’s the “best version of a fact”.
Facts can change as the world changes.
LINKS
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