Back Channels

We hear a lot in the news, in the paper, and online on official “news” sites and blogs like this one. We get fed a solid stream of stories that either reinforce or contradict one another. It’s hard to find nuance in anything these days.

If the news talking points that are most often heard are acted upon our world would quickly devolve. In order for the world to survive with any kind of order, there are conversations that are happening that do not completely align with the right/left, conservative/liberal, democratic/republican kind of divisions.

These conversations are pragmatic. They are rooted in a simple idea. That is that while leaders may have to hold a particular line publicly, privately they cross that very line for the sake (more often than not) of the public good. These conversations create back channels - trusted lines of communication that aren’t as pressured by public images or narratives.

For the sake of trust and healthy public discourse this is a horrible situation to find ourselves in. One public image and one private one is never good, especially when the public image is more divisive than the private one.

So as I sift through the news I search for the report on whose doing the work on the ground - crossing the lines for the sake of the public good.

If you have the opportunity, why not make a back channel. Be a trusted confidant of all parties, for the sake of the public good.