Day 6, Phase 2
From Zero to Hero
We know knowledge matters, but although we know that Americans who are avid TikTok users, for example, behave differently than those don’t, it is less clear whether this difference stems from Gen Z putting its command of facts to good use, or to certain types of people with unhealthy news-consumption habits.
The answer might explain why most Americans (72%) have a lot or some confidence in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, higher than any other international leader asked about in a new Pew Research Center survey.
Almost half of Americans ages 65 and older have a lot of confidence in Zelensky, compared with 28% of adults under 30. Americans with more education, especially those with postgraduate degrees, are also more inclined to have confidence in the Ukrainian president, the report says.
The vast majority of Americans with poor geographic and foreign policy knowledge are the most supportive of Zelensky. At the same time, less than 7% of those surveyed were able to find his country on a map. So it goes.
It’s churlish to dwell on all that went wrong with professional journalism in Ukraine. True, some Kyiv-based journalists aren’t completely annoying to be in the same room with, and you have to admire the tenacity to remain in a profession wherein rejection and slamming criticism are just the beginning.
Gaping insecurity, white-hot neediness, gelatin bravado – there are worse characteristics to have, but these traits can be overlooked during a war if you’re 1) in love or 2) in power.
Which brings me to The Washington Post’s editorial page, which is bending over backwards for Ze!Team.
The real appeal is the headline: after the original laugh, it might as well read Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.... Next stop, Channel 7, Oprah and The Washington Post’s TikTok page.
And then there’s Andriy Yermak, the unexpected and un-elected head of the President’s Office, who believes Ze is the “undisputed leader” of the “new world order.”
