Open a newspaper, a news magazine and what do you see? Words. Exclamation points. Question marks. But what about meaning? Do you find yourself questioning the author’s credentials before reading on? Do you wonder about possible agendas woven into the reporting?
I do. Each and every time.
I also shudder. This is not how it once was. We trusted the writers. We had faith their supervisors – the editors – were supporting the author’s commitment to truth and accuracy. We expected the news organization to employ researchers, fact checkers and grammarians. We held the press to a high standard. They were the arbiters of spelling and grammar. And facts, too.
Today, it is anyone’s guess. And bias. Does this author support my views in general? Do I feel comfortable with his/her expressions and opinions? Or does this report seem slanted and artificial?
I scan the news these days. I feel for a pulse of logic, fact and context. I work at understanding the report from the viewpoint of the writer, not the subject. Then, if I’m comfortable with all of that, I peruse the article and file it into my brainium-data compiler. Later, I may use this item for another writing project, or I may learn of its duplicity and trash it.
Whatever I do with information, I now filter it carefully. This doesn’t mean I’m correct in my analysis or conclusions. There is no guarantee that the input is pure and accurate. A judgment must be made in each case.
How delicate is our world of facts and truth these days! What is the real truth, and what is an alternate factoid? Who is to know.
All I know is that people in positions of authority we once trusted are no longer reliable. We have no rudder or guide on this twisted journey. Never before have I witnessed such suspension of validity in public life.
So, who do you trust? Who do you rely on for accurate information? Indeed, what do we focus on to be certain we are dealing with reality?
Strange and eerie world we live in today. Up is down and out is in. Even scarier? Positive is now negative, and the opposite, too.
How do we fix this?
March 12, 2019
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