News Media Narrative Distracts From Focus

Each of the past several elections has thrust rural people into the media spotlight. Rural and urban people are divided, the pundits tell us. Neither understands the lives of the other, the news reports read.

I find the entire narrative rather tired. It is rife with inaccuracies that I won’t try to unpack here.

It is also a distraction. Spending our energy debating an unhelpful caricature of cultural divides keeps both voters and policymakers distracted from making changes that matter.

I suggest we focus our energy instead on a simple question: What action can policymakers take today to m...