THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF

CADILLAC NEWS -- JANUARY 10, 2026

If the Cadillac area was a quilt, the Cadillac News would be the thread that binds it together. I can't fathom life in our environs without the CN. Can you?

 

Before I elucidate, you might be thinking that someone employed by the CN would obviously say something like this. Hence a disclaimer. I do not work for the Cadillac News. Everything I submit is strictly on a freelance basis. They can opt to run my columns or not. As such, my columns are more creative writing than actual hard news journalism. The reporters and editors at the CN do the real journalistic work. 

 

What brought this to mind was slop. “Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen slop as the 2025 Word of the Year. We define slop as digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence. The flood of slop in 2025 included absurd videos, off-kilter advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that looks pretty real, junky AI-written books, workslop reports that waste coworkers’ time… and lots of talking cats. Slop has turned social media into an antisocial wasteland, reported CNET.” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year)

 

An article in Forbes magazine would seem to bolster the slop argument. "Automated bots will soon surpass the proportion of internet traffic coming from humans.  The proportion of advanced bad bots—those that closely mimic human behavior and evade defenses—was highest in law and government at 78 percent, followed by entertainment at 71 percent and financial services at 67 percent.” (https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2024/04/16/yes-the-bots-really-are-taking-over-the-internet/)

 

Given all this, what is the average person to do? Psychology Today gives some clarity on the issue. “Information abundance causes misinformation because our ability to differentiate truth from falsehood decreases when we are overwhelmed. In fact, the research shows that overwhelmed people are more likely to share things that are partially or completely untrue. This information abundance harms democracy.”

 

There are some evidence-based solutions that the general public can use. The term is  critical ignoring. “The key word here is 'critical,' which means not just ignoring everything. Instead, the idea is to look quickly for clues that suggest the types of information most likely to be misinformation (unintentional) or disinformation (intentional). To see the ways we can use “critical ignoring,” go to: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/misinformation-desk/202511/critical-ignoring-a-strategy-for-information-overload. 

 

I would submit that an inside-out strategy is appropriate here. By beginning with information close to home first, you can then move outward into the world in general. This is where a local newspaper, like the Cadillac News, is essential. 

 

For instance, using my rudimentary math-challenged skills, I perused five recent issues of the Cadillac News. I found thirty-six articles specifically dedicated to the CN coverage area. Stories about sports, government, human interest, upcoming events, crime, and more. (This is not counting hundreds of classified ads, television schedules, obituaries, and community announcements.) Even the ads were informative. Imagine life without this daily source of useful information. 

 

Ah, and here's the best part. Newspaper articles have depth. That's because actual human beings have the time and space to do more than just attach a blurb to a headline. It's called journalism. 

 

For us, the Cadillac News provides this valuable community resource. By comparison, when was the last time you saw an article about Cadillac (or Reed City, McBain, Manton, Lake City, or any other local entity) in a national or statewide newspaper? 

 

The key to this is local and human. This all has a monetary component. A viable Cadillac News is a community asset that we can all support. This is where Report for America comes in. “Our mission is to strengthen our communities and our democracy through local journalism that is truthful, fearless, fair and smart. Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. It is structured to harness the skills and idealism of an emerging group of journalists plus the creative spirit of local news organizations.” Several community organizations have contributed financial support toward funding a reporter for the Cadillac News. This benefits all of us. (Cadillac News, December 10, 2025)

 

Organizations and individuals can join in this support. Just click on the Donate Button at: https://www.reportforamerica.org/newsrooms/cadillac-news/. 

 

There's another way to support the Cadillac News that I consider a double-dip. Buy a subscription. There are seven options for doing this. They include everything from print to digital to the e-edition. On one hand, you get the benefit of local news. On the other hand, your backing makes it possible for the CN to provide a community service. It's a “two-fer.” See options at: https://apps.cadillacnews.com/home/subscriptions/. 

 

I grew up reading print editions of newspapers, but I really like the e-edition option. On my phone or tablet, I can see a full representation of the print edition, click on an article for easier reading, download and save/print things, and even search the archives for something I might have missed. Pretty cool. 

 

Well, that's my pitch. I hope we all can agree that life is better with a viable (local) Cadillac News. Next week's column will feature some earth-shattering topics, like 2026 being the year of the cabbage. 

 

Jim Neff is a local (freelance) columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.