The isle of denial is no place to be

Infotainment has become the way of mainstream news. Elbowing their way into your viewing and reading preferences, many media organizations have moved away from the core tenet of journalism – impartiality.

The chasm of divisiveness has grown deeper over the past decade or so. In response to the beliefs and preferences in their respective camps of thought, organizations craft delivery of the “news” to lure in audiences.

By migrating to “news” that appeals to oneself, consumers are engaging in confirmation bias. Whether conscious or subconscious, people migrate away from information that angers or upsets them and their belief systems. They find information presented in a way that tells them, “You’re right.”

As much as I would love to condemn the practice, I can’t. It’s hard to convince yourself to watch or read something that genuinely pisses you off. So a lot of us – including me at times – tend to just tune out.

But I believe, in my heart of hearts, that this is just as dangerous as engaging in confirmation bias. Not consuming the news media doesn’t stop it from happening.

Ethical journalism is something that we do not take lightly here at Land Line. The news is the news. There is no spin. There is no twisting of the narrative to please or aggravate readers and listeners. The news simply is what it is.

That’s why this issue of the magazine is so important. When I start ticking off topics like speed limiters, automatic emergency braking, electronic log revisions, autonomous trucks … How many of you want to tune out? Are you so sick and tired of it that you just can’t bear the thought of one more article on the subject?

Too bad.

There is no benefit to being on the isle of denial. Ignorance is not bliss. If you tune out, it’s not stopping the agency.

Starting on Page 14, you will find a rundown on regulations in the pipeline at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

While we won’t tell you how to feel about these regulations, we also won’t stop short of telling you what they could mean for you. We understand truckers. When it comes to how you feel, we talk less and listen more. And we center our news media coverage on the issues that matter most to you.

Ignoring a possible speed limiter mandate won’t stop it. But jumping on board with lawmakers trying to prevent FMCSA from mandating one could. Find out more about that on Page 37.

On the flip side of ignorance: We know you are committed to being informed. And when you share your thoughts with lawmakers and regulators, good things can happen. A case study of sorts on this emerged from a task force on lease-purchase agreements, which are largely predatory in nature. They are designed to profit the company leasing the truck, not the driver making the payments. The task force started out as one might expect but – with the right input – took a very refreshing turn. You must check it out on Page 22.

This issue, like all the others, is packed with news that will have an impact on your life. And that’s why you need to turn to Page 32. The election will be here before you know it. Being registered and informed to vote is mission-critical to your future as a trucker and a citizen of this country.

I hate that this all may sound like I’m on my high horse. The reality is, I’m just proud of what we do here.

Our mission is not to entertain you; it is merely to inform. We all have our own political biases, and we would be foolish not to acknowledge that. But we also have a deep commitment to leaving those biases outside the building and working within a robust system of checks and balances to make sure we remain neutral.

We will continue to take collateral bar punches to the face when people rail on the “media.” It just won’t stop us from doing our level best to keep you informed on the issues that aim to change life as you know it. LL