Why “A Source Says” Shouldn’t Run Your Life

Ever notice how five outlets can declare five different “best” cities—or how a celebrity is “broke” on Monday and “booming” by Friday? We dig into the mechanics behind those whiplash headlines and unpack why modern media often rewards your outrage more than your understanding. From clickbait tactics to the slippery use of “an unnamed source,” we map how attention becomes currency and how that currency shapes what you see, feel, and share.

We also examine the money myths that fuel viral narratives about public figures. Ultra-wealthy families don’t live paycheck to paycheck; they live portfolio to portfolio. Think trusts, staged inheritances, and conservative returns that can fund a lavish lifestyle without touching principal. When you run the math on book deals, streaming contracts, and speaking fees, the popular “they’re desperate” storyline starts to look like a product—engineered to keep you scrolling, reacting, and arguing.

The heart of this conversation is agency. You don’t need to abandon news or mute every voice; you need a stronger filter. We offer practical steps: slow your scroll, demand receipts, frame uncertainty honestly, and step back from stories that only spike anxiety. Curate credible sources, read beyond your bubble, and hold your views loosely enough to update them with better facts. Most of all, choose civility. Not every thought requires a post. Not every headline deserves your heartbeat. Peace is a choice, and so is clarity.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s tired of the outrage treadmill, and leave a quick review with one filter you plan to use this week. Your attention is power—spend it wisely.

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Chapters

• 0:30 Setting The Stage
• 1:07 Who Owns The News
• 2:12 Clicks Over Truth
• 3:19 Contradictory “Best” Lists
• 4:56 The Myth Of “A Source Says”
• 6:52 Royals As Clickbait
• 9:42 How Old Money Works
• 12:35 Trusts, Inheritance, And Income
• 15:45 Counting The Deals
• 18:10 Why The “They’re Broke” Narrative Persists
• 20:24 Humanity Behind The Headlines

Transcript

Who Owns The News

Clicks Over Truth

Contradictory “Best” Lists

The Myth Of “A Source Says”

Royals As Clickbait

How Old Money Works

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Hello and welcome to Incoming. I'm your host, Margie Avery. And last week it was an intense one. I did a very intense podcast with a lot of opinions, and it was intended to challenge people, and it was intended to get people to think outside of their comfort zone, to think outside of the rhetoric. This week, I want to kind of come at that from another angle. I did a podcast about a year ago about yellow journalism. You should look it up. It's a good one. I don't want to waste the time on this one recapping that one. But essentially, it's something that we all need to think about. The media has never been, even before, I mean, it's always been controlled by literally a handful of very rich people, you know, back to William Randolph Hearst and yellow journalism. It's not really that different now. And, you know, if you look around, there seems to be a concerted effort. And now there's even more incentivization because people get clicks. And if you scroll through an article long enough, then, you know, you ever read an article and it feels like it never even got to the point of what was on the headline? Or they tell you, oh, so-and-so posted this new picture of something, and yet they never show you the picture. They don't care. That goes to show you. All they care about is if you stay on that article long enough, or if you scroll through it all the way, that's a win for them. You don't really have to do real journalism anymore. And if you look at the stuff that they report, I mean, I was sitting there scrolling through the news feed today, and there were five separate articles that claimed five different cities had been determined to be the best retirement cities in the United States. How can that possibly be? One was in Condonas Traveler, one was in uh the Wall Street Journal. I can't remember the other three. It's not really important. The main thing is that that's an example of how they lie. The other one that cracks me up, you look at the media, uh, how they treat, you know, people, uh celebrities, uh, famous people, let's say. My favorite is when they say a source tells us. Now, first of all, I'll tell you the truth. Now, of course, sometimes these are genuine leaks that are put out with purpose by that person's team. It could be their publicist, it could be their manager, it could be them trying to control some narrative. But oftentimes it's just made up BS. I could write an article tomorrow and say a source close to the family told me this. Guess what? I'm protected by the Constitution. I don't have to tell you who my source was. I mean, there's almost nothing you can do. Uh, Prince Harry has been in the headlines a lot because he's suing the media in Britain, and we don't even have to get into all of that. But speaking of him, uh, you know, I I did a podcast a while back and he was mentioned in it, and I gave some opinions about that, opinions about what's been put out in the press. I don't know him. I don't know Meghan Markle, I don't know any of these people. But interesting thing, I I was I read these articles every day. They pop up in the newsfeed. Uh, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are almost broke. They're divorcing. Then it's, you know, they're a solid team. Uh her brand, I don't know, she's selling uh jellies and jams and things like that. Apparently there was some gaff where on screen you caught a glimpse of like a sales report. I highly doubt that was an accident. But, you know, they had headlines going, she's made 50 million on this, which sounds crazy because you'd have to sell a lot of jam and honey. But then they're like, oh, you know, her brand is tanking. Well, which is it, people? But the ones that are saying he's desperate to get back in the royal family because they're running out of money and Megan's lifestyle is eating them up. Well, okay, hold on, hold on. Let's just slow down a minute. I'm an accountant by trade, and first of all, as a human being, he doesn't need to get back in the royal family. He is a member of the royal family, he is the king of England's son. You cannot get much more royal than that. He is the future king's brother. He is in the royal family. If we're talking about back with them financing him or back working, you know, I don't think that that man went through all the loops, hoops that he did to get out of doing that just so he could beg his way back in. And let's talk about money. I don't think that a lot of people who read these articles and believe this stuff really understand how money is handled among ultra-wealthy families, especially old school families like that. How sophisticated finances are done. First of all, people at that level, their broke or short on money is nothing like our broke or short on money. Okay. Secondly, I I don't know why they want to constantly make this couple sound like they're broke, but let's explore this a second. Now, I know that it was publicly said he said when he left that he had money from his mother. I forget it was something around$20 million. And I think they said publicly that Megan was worth about$5 million.$25 million is a lot of money. Also, I know they publicized that I think it was last year he inherited$9 million from his great-grandmother that was like another installment where he and his brother had been getting these payouts incrementally at certain ages, which is very common in estate planning with families of that nature, money of that level. Additionally, I have a question for everybody. The Queen died. You don't think that she left any bequest, if not to Harry, but to his children, her great-grandchildren? Her mother did it. Why wouldn't she have? Do you really think that she left all of her money to Charles and none of her money to any of her other grandchildren or her great-grandchildren? This is a woman whose life was dedicated to the institution and to family. It is extremely unlikely. And by the way, her will is sealed for a hundred years, which again is typical with old money estate planning. So you don't know what he got. And by the way, if she left a trust fund for his children, here's a little education for you, too. Although he cannot, except in very narrow circumstances, touch the principal, he absolutely can touch the earnings on that. And he could touch the principal as long as it's for the benefit of the children, which could mean their security, education, any number of things. So there are a lot of very legal and sophisticated ways to get around that. Secondly, let's say now he also made money off of his book. They had a Netflix deal that was reported to be$100 million. I don't know how much they actually realized from that. They had a Spotify deal that was worth another, I don't know,$20 million. He got hired by some large tech firm better up, I think. Anyway, and we already said that he started out with$20 million and his wife had$5 million, and he inherited nine. So let's just say that conservatively, between his book, speaking engagements, potential money he or his children may have inherited in trust funds from his grandmother. And we don't really know that his dad isn't giving him any money. But let's just say that conservatively, they have a net worth of about 50 million. Do you have any idea how much money 50 million earns conservatively invested in the course of a year? I mean, it would be nothing for that to be getting a return of in the neighborhood of 10 million. Okay. Uh, really conservatively, like if they had, you know, a novice during the doing the investment, if they've stuck it in CDs, they could be making five to seven million a yeah. Okay. And that goes a long way to support a lifestyle. So you don't understand that people at that level, they're not necessarily touching their principal, they're living off of interest. Okay. So I don't know what makes anybody think that this that he's broke. And then all the public opinions about should his brother make up with him or not. How anybody thinks that somebody else feels about his father and he making up. Which brings me around to another thought that I have. I think that between the press coming at us with, you know, it's literally the title of my podcast. It's what my cover art is. Every day they try to make us feel like incoming, incoming, duck, dodge, there's stuff coming at you. Oh my God, the world is ending, the sky is falling. While we're mixing it in with wishing horrible things on all these public figures, just because it makes us feel somehow sickly better about our own lives, I guess. Here's a message that you should learn. No matter how much money you have, no matter how much notoriety you have, everybody still has problems family is family. Despite their money, despite their notoriety, they're humans and they are facing the same human condition we are: sibling rivalry, conflicted relationship with their dads. I mean, none of us have ever heard of that before, have we? Sure we have, all the time. But, you know, they say click it off sometimes. And sometimes, you know what, you really do need to do that because there are powers that be that plant stories. Just like I said, that sometimes entertainers do this to control a narrative. There are larger powers that be that come at us with rhetoric trying to control the narrative. And sometimes the narrative is they want to keep all of us at each other's throats. They don't want us unified. They want to be getting away with something else in the wings while we're busy arguing over these mundane things.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

And we need to take a step back and take a breath sometimes.

Trusts, Inheritance, And Income

SPEAKER_01 11:53

And some of these things we need to ignore. You know what you need to do? One thing for entertainment, I suppose, but the fact is it's none of your business. Just because somebody is a public figure does not make every detail of their personal and private lives open season. And especially when you're reading things that are probably just fictitious, an unnamed source tells us, you know, uh, it's been reported that. I mean, stop, stop and think about what you're reading. Nowhere does it say Bob Smith, who was employed as their accountant, has come forward for some ungodly reason and disclosed all of their private financial information. And for whatever reason you would want to know it, they're filthy rich or they're almost broke. Okay, this goes back to my common theme. Don't hear a sound bite and run with it. Sometimes mind your own business a little bit. Stay in your own lane. I guarantee you, every single one of us has got more than enough to keep us busy in our own life, that we don't really need to be digging into Prince Harry or Prince William or Meghan Markle or anybody else's life. I mean, you can look at some of it for entertainment purposes, but that's it. And frankly, we look to one too many entertainers to tell us how to think already. People make their decision on who they're going to vote for based on what the Kardashians said. And nothing against the Kardashians, but don't you think that's a little simple-minded? Maybe you need to go get a little informed yourself. If the Kardashians or somebody else said something that triggered, you know, wow, that means something to me. I have an interest in that, then go get educated in it. Form your own opinion. Don't go and vote. Don't go march in the streets. Don't do any of these things because someone you don't even know. A blurb said this was their opinion, and the blurb might be a lie. If you're not seeing it yet, the theme here is people to think. Please think. And if you're going to open your mouth and give an opinion, please try to become a little bit educated before you do it. I don't care what it is, I don't care if I agree with it or not, but at least if you're going to come at me with it, come at me with it informed.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

A little bit. And sometimes remember something else.

Counting The Deals

SPEAKER_01 14:29

Of course, every single person out there, public figure or not, has an opinion about anything that comes across their desk. Who doesn't have an opinion? But it doesn't mean you have to open your mouth and tell the world about it. And keep in mind, you don't even know when those entertainers open their mouth and you, you know, they say something that that's really how they feel. Again, this is how these people earn a living. Clicks, likes, shares, follows. It's how they earn a living. When you see these people with 50 million followers on Instagram, they're making a ton of money. A ton of money. That's why you never see them in concert anymore, because they don't have to be. They're making money laying on their couch, posting to you. And keep that filter in mind. When you watch something on a TikTok video or Instagram or YouTube or whatever it might be, you don't know this person from Adam. Let's not forget the people that were telling kids to shave their teeth down with a file to a point because it would make getting veneers cheaper. I I guess I can understand a child following something like that, but grown people, grown people watching an Instagram post from Mr. or Mrs. Nobody, or a TikTok video, or a YouTube video, and marching on down the road. That's their mantra now, based on what? Don't be so lazy. Look into something on your own. And before you run around gossiping about people and running your mouth on people, whether they're public figures or not, why don't you find out if something's accurate? At least phrase it correctly. Maybe say, I don't know if they said this or not, but it was reported that they said this, and you know that really changes my view about them. But be very careful, people. There's a lot of powers that be that want to manipulate what you say, what you vote for, what you march in the streets for, where you put your money. Be very, very, very careful because there are powerful agendas out there. And we are pawns. And that's not a conspiracy theory, that's a fact. And that's gone on as long as there have been media and as long as there have been politics and as long as there have been public figures. And sometimes it's the media using you, sometimes it's the public figures themselves. Sometimes it's a public figure that doesn't like another public figure. Sometimes it's a way for the public figure, you know. Look, they go out in an outfit and suddenly everybody wants to buy that outfit. You think they're not getting paid somehow by that brand?

SPEAKER_00 17:32

They are.

Why The “They’re Broke” Narrative Persists

Humanity Behind The Headlines

SPEAKER_01 17:41

So be careful. That's kind of all I'm trying to tell you in all of this. And you know what? Life is short and life is stressful enough. You know, our own day-to-day lives are stressful enough with work, family, whatever's going on inside our own head. You need to learn somehow of if you can't tune it out, at least filter it with the proper filters so that it doesn't have that kind of a stressful anxiety-causing impact on you. Take care of yourself. Don't allow yourself to be so easily manipulated and riled up. Consider the source when you hear these things and consider what benefit they may have from wanting you to get riled up and boycott a business or trash talk a politician or gossip about some other public figure. You know, it's like you can choose that life can be a little peaceful too. You know, you can choose to look for the big headlines and the big thing that that now has you debating with your friends and arguing with your family because they're on the left hand and you're on the right. People there, there, there are people who would make so much money and do make so much money by starting a civil war. Okay, there have been instances where governments literally started wars so that they could make money funding the machine. So they're still doing it. They get you and me debating and arguing on social media that's more interaction on social media, and they use that interaction to go and sell click ads to businesses and say, look, look at how much traffic we have, look at how much activity we have. You want to pay us a bunch of money every week to advertise on here. That's exactly how it works. You know, it's like in the Wizard of Oz, it's all ooh, ah, until you see the little short man behind the curtain. A little anticlimactic then. Look for the man behind the curtain or the woman, because they are there and they are using you in a multitude of ways. And it's okay to have opinions, and it's okay to disagree. But try to be civilized, try to be respectful of other people. Try to broaden your horizons a little bit and consider all sides before you jump out there attacking any side. That's all I'm asking. Hopefully, this is a little bit more toned down. Sometimes I'm a little bit out there, but I'm really only trying to engage you and make you think. I'm not trying to get you to jump up and want to argue with me because I said something different. I'm trying to get you, you know, maybe if I say something, it makes you think and you consider what I said. And while you're trying to build your case to argue it back with me, guess what it's making you do? Look deeper into something. That's all I'm hoping to challenge people with because you know what? There is enough incoming in this world and in this life. And it goes by faster than any of us ever are prepared for. And every day, in little ways, you can choose. You can choose for it to be a little bit more pleasant, a little bit dialed down. When you find that this stuff is getting you too riled, sometimes you know what? Put the phone down or look up pictures of puppies and babies and kittens. That's my advice for this week. I hope you enjoyed the show. I hope you comment, leave some feedback, and I will see you next time on incoming.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

So do better. Work hard under pressure. If you got no time, work smarter than ever. Don't ever let them tell you that you can never say never, and turn your mind into the truest to go better.