The issue of civility has been a recurring topic on Arizona 360 over the years. We asked once again how individuals can help the country heal and bridge racial divides. Our insight came from Keith Allred, executive director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse.
“A productive and an accurate way to kind of look at those protests is to say, you know, these are folks who are asking us to listen, to listen to their concerns, to listen to our own hearts when we watched that video and the reaction we have to say, ‘Hey, there’s a problem here we need to address,’” Allred said.
Allred discussed how the media can give off the impression that public opinion is more divided than it really is.
“The traditional media, social media, always gives an outsize impression to the extremes. And the extremes talk louder and longer than the rest of us. They post more on social media and so they get more attention,” Allred said.
The institute has programs that promote civility. You can learn more about them here.
