TIL about Gell-Mann amnesia

Gell-Mann amnesia is where we recognize that the media reports inaccurately on topics we know well, yet trust their expertise on topics we don’t. It’s not a defined psychological bias, but wow is it a useful concept to know.

I think everyone notices this at some point, but I remember noticing it in myself during a period from May 2020 to 2022ish when the City of Atlanta was in the media a lot (notably in the conservative media world) about police reform and the “Cop City” protests. I not only live near where the Rayshard Brooks shooting happened, but also bike / walk / explore down near where the Atlanta Public Safety Center (aka “Cop City”) is located. Additionally, I vote in, actively follow, and have read deeply about city politics. Either way, I’m not an expert. But I have first-hand knowledge.

And WOW, was it weird to interact with folks on the other side of news reporting. It still is. I mean, yes, there was social unrest and controversy at the time. But my experience living in the city near all of it was nothing like what people consuming conservative media heard about the city.

Now I now that there’s a term for it, especially since the Gell-Mann Amnesia is a common bias. And it’s not that all media is true/false/fake/real…but simply impossible to capture fully. It’s good to know when hearing about trustworthy reports from other cities. Because even trustworthy reports can never capture all the nuance and complexity of first-hand knowledge.