Saturday, December 7, 2024

Say no to sensationalism and yes to accurate journalism

Four years ago, disillusioned with universally irresponsible media coverage and a related increase in societal division and vitriol, I set out to create a trustworthy source of accurate news on the biggest issues.

I don’t believe that I am super intelligent, but I am smart enough to recognize that the news media industry was badly broken and that I needed to recruit highly intelligent people with good hearts to help explain the most critical matters.

I am pretty good with numbers, and I can string a few sentences together, but I do not have the expertise required to compile and interpret the most important facts and data from a scientific perspective.

After assembling a business plan for ironically named BIG Media Ltd. (we cover the big issues and offer an alternative to the large media conglomerates and their ubiquitous sensationalism and bias), I went to work recruiting excellent writers who also happen to be extremely intelligent and highly skilled in data interpretation and presentation.

It started with Laurie Weston. She is a renowned data scientist and entrepreneur who created geophysical software that helps energy companies find high-quality oil and gas deposits. Laurie is an ideal co-founder, and her remarkably detailed and insightful articles on excess deaths are among her many must-reads: Detailed analysis of 2021 death data reveals disturbing trends, Analysis of excess deaths reveals surprising deviations

Then I recruited Brad Hayes, another entrepreneur who is a doctor of geology and educator. Thousands of people have enrolled in the Massive Open Online Course on energy transition that he leads. He is that rare human who will read 250-page reports from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) and International Energy Agency (IEA), and help us make sense of it all – Is it really ‘now or never’ to stave off climate disaster? , What the International Energy Agency is actually telling us 

Next was Lee Hunt, another brilliant data scientist who just happens to be a novelist, ironman triathlete, and mountain climber. Suffice to say, the guy does not mind putting in the work to get results. Lee has undertaken many deep dives to bring context to important matters. His article on biomedical ethics, for example, was praised by readers on all sides of a highly contentious issue: Mounting COVID frustration is no reason to abandon fundamental principles

Then I convinced Kevin Burron to join the team. Kevin is a great writer who worked as a structural engineer before building a bridge to a career in law. He was recruited to be a partner at the largest law firm in the world and then established Burron Law, which provides a wide range of work in commercial litigation. When the Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act in February of 2022, Kevin supplied unmatched analysis and context: The Canadian prime minister’s emergency act

Other key members of the team include epidemiologist/statistician Dr. David Vickers (Higher rates of adverse events after mRNA vaccines interpreted poorly by study authors), legendary geoscientist Brian Russell (Music, mathematics, and physics), and Chris DeArmitt, who puts his PhD in polymers and surface science to use as a leading commentator on the plastics industry.

These people are all extremely busy, but they take the time to do the deep dives and write articles for BIG Media because they want to help make a difference.

They want to empower people of all stripes with critical information on the big issues. Intellectual enlightenment is a powerful way to reduce vitriol and increase harmony.

If you have not yet done so, sign up at BIG Media and be part of the desperately needed change.

Rob Driscoll
Rob Driscoll
Rob Driscoll is co-founder and president of BIG Media Ltd. He is a writer and entrepreneur who is deeply committed to elevating the level of coverage of our society's most pressing matters as well as the level of respect in public discourse.
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