Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator – Ryan Holiday

This book was first published in 2018 and is a memoir and exposé of sorts about Holiday’s experiences as a media strategist, working to manipulate the news cycle and create publicity stunts for his clients.

The book discusses how the media ecosystem works and how easy it can be for people with the right skills and tactics to manipulate it. It also raises some important ethical questions about the state of modern journalism and the role of the media in society.

When intelligent people read, they ask themselves a simple question: What do I plan to do with this information?

Media manipulators take advantage of journalists’ need for sources

• Journalists are always looking for new sources to interview and quote in their articles.
• Media manipulators can offer up sources who are willing to give sensational quotes or spin stories in certain ways.

Anonymous sources are often used to manipulate the news

• Journalists often use anonymous sources to protect their identities or to get information that they wouldn’t be able to get otherwise.
• Media manipulators can use this to their advantage by posing as anonymous sources and feeding false or misleading information to the media.

Fear and outrage sell

• Stories that generate fear or outrage are more likely to be shared and spread on social media.
• Media manipulators can create false or exaggerated stories that play on people’s fears and biases.

The media is driven by clicks and pageviews

• Traditional journalistic values like accuracy and impartiality have taken a backseat to generating traffic and revenue.
• Sensationalism and controversy are more likely to generate clicks than substantive news.

Media manipulation can have real-world consequences

• Manipulated news stories can have real-world consequences, such as affecting stock prices or influencing elections.
• Media manipulators often prioritize their own interests over the public good.

Blogs and online media are especially susceptible to manipulation

• Online media operates on a 24-hour news cycle and is constantly looking for new content to publish.
• Blogs often lack the resources to fact-check stories thoroughly, making it easier to get false information into the news cycle.

The media is easily distracted

• The media tends to focus on the latest story or scandal and quickly moves on to the next one.
• Media manipulators can take advantage of this by creating distractions or diverting attention away from negative stories.

The media is not going to change anytime soon

• The media ecosystem is set up in a way that rewards clicks and pageviews over accuracy and impartiality.
• Media manipulators are likely to continue exploiting the system as long as it remains profitable.

Conning the conmen is one of life’s most satisfying pleasures

The first story sets the agenda

• The media tends to follow the lead of other media outlets, and the first story on a particular topic often sets the agenda for how subsequent stories will be covered.
• Media manipulators can take advantage of this by planting a story in one outlet and then watching it spread to others.

News spreads like wildfire on social media

• Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook can quickly amplify a story and make it go viral.
• Media manipulators can use social media to spread their message quickly and easily.

In an age of images and entertainment, in an age of instant emotional gratification, we neither seek nor want honesty or reality. Reality is complicated. Reality is boring. We are incapable or unwilling to handle its confusion.

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