Confidence in America’s Mass Media continues to drop year after year. This is a Gallup poll showing only 32% of us have a “great deal” of confidence in our media. A 21-point drop since 1997.
Without a trustworthy media where do we turn for our needed source of information? Where do we educate ourselves on today’s topics and issues? With this election year, so many Americans have been brought to life with fire and passion for a better tomorrow. What that tomorrow may mean for different groups could well be quite different, but the drive is currently there for so many of us and that is a beautiful thing to see that passion grow amongst our populace. This is a trend that we should not let wither on the vine because of a perceived bias from our news sources.
Is the continuing lack of confidence in those that bring us the news, many on a 24-hour basis, because we have a multitude of programs that wear the face of regular media or others that just occasionally play the part? Is it because we dive head long into programs that lack the real stamp of news and have a hard time swimming back to the shores of reality?
With right-wing and left-wing opinion media leading a good deal of the market, it can be very difficult to remember that what you are getting from these outlets is news warped with the viewpoint of the show or simply the host. Some will let you know their bias, others will not. It is then our responsibility to understand and differentiate while we engage such media. Add on top of that the many comedy “news” programs and it can be easy to see why so many people have lost a trust for the media. They have forgotten what constitutes a real news program. I am in no way saying that you should avoid this type of programming. I watch a good deal of it myself. I only suggest that you keep in the forefront of your mind what exactly it is that you are viewing. Which makes it all the more imperative that we look at all opinions and seek out true news sources for a look at the bare facts that have not be clothed in our own ideologies. If we only seek out that which strengthens our assumptions, we cannot grow as a nation.
Many do not bother even with these types of shows, often gleaming what they know of any given situation simply from social media. In which case, you and I are the journalists. If the majority of the people looking at your Facebook or Twitter feed mistrust the media, and that poll would strongly suggest that they do, then what is our obligation to put forth information of a factual nature? I would contend that it is extremely high. Whom do you trust more than your friends and family? And if you mistrust the major media sources, when a post comes through your feed from a trusted companion will you not believe it that much more?
With that in mind, how many of us fact check our likes and shares? How often do you take the time to research the fact being portrayed in that meme or link? If the answer to this is little or never, you may be unintentionally leading others down a path of ignorance that could have serious consequences for our society as a whole. Take the current belief that our election system is rigged. This notion is being portrayed by a candidate for president, but is also simultaneously being refuted in the news media. Does what Mr. Trump is saying have some grounding in reality? Yes! There have been instances of voter fraud in America, certainly. But as we would, as a nation, learn if we trusted our news outlets is that there has never been a case that was significant enough to have any weight on a modern election. Is it important to ensure that voter fraud is eradicated? Unquestionably. But with a new poll showing that nearly 70% of Republicans believe this election will be “rigged”, what I believe they are actually saying is that they have lost faith in America as a whole. We are founded on free elections and it is something we are and should be proud of every election year. This type of thought is perpetuated from both sides of the aisle. Democrats and Republicans alike are posting memes and videos about how the election is rigged or the voting machines are casting votes for the incorrect candidate. This is an infection of the mind that you and I must cleanse with an effort to put forth thoughts and ideas on our streams and feeds that are reliable and factual. The truth will set us free, but the misrepresentation of the truth will only serve to tear us apart.
Am I suggesting here that we should believe our news networks cart blanche? Not even remotely. Some networks seem to only put out opinion heavy pieces. We must be able to read or watch it and know that is what we are digesting. Most everything should be viewed in such a way that you are open to new information, that you can see it and determine the truthfulness of the story being put forth. Believe or reject any information that should, based on the facts, be believed or rejected. Are networks run by “big money”? They certainly seem to be. Will local stations report on the most sensational story to the detriment of a more important story? Almost every time. We must understand that even though this is the case, what they are reporting about the sensational story is still likely to be factual.
That being said, please keep in mind that our news (actual news) media is there to inform us and if one network jumps the gun and reports a story before it is confirmed the other networks will report on the fact that the other got it wrong. They have a vested interest in being “the most trustworthy” and they police each other in order to obtain those credentials. We trust our pilots to get us to the next city safely and fire departments to be there when we are in need. Why then do we mistrust a profession that has long since been a source of integrity and truth? If the only thing we have to educate ourselves about the world in which we live after our school years is the opinions of others who have already made up their minds, we are doomed to stay stagnant in the cesspool of our own ignorance.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/23/donald-trumps-voter-fraud-concerns-overblown-elect/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us a-election-poll-rigging-idUSKCN12L2O2
Tyrannical Ideas 