Just the Facts
How to stay informed, and why it is important
We understand the world through the news we read, and unless you actually go to all the places where things are happening and talk to all the people involved, you have to get the news somewhere. Some folks trust the news entirely and take it at face value. But is that smart? Is the news you get accurate?
Throughout my life, I have mostly felt I could trust the news. It was nothing I spent much time thinking about. I mean, mostly my concerns had more to do with my own life: finding a mate, having children, making money, and enjoying life. Events around the globe did not register highly on my radar, but still, it was clear to me that we were not always told the truth about our foreign wars and political shenanigans.
Since these things did not affect me personally, I mostly read whatever news came my way and went on about my life. I had an underlying sense that corruption was widespread, and knew enough history to understand that evil and tragedy were a part of humanity. But we do not want to believe in horrible things, especially if they are being done by our family, friends, or country, so I just kept all that awareness in the back of my mind. I did not think much about it or fully recognize the potentially horrible implications of what it all meant. It was not personal. That last bit is important to think about because it shows how most of us feel about events: we can put them aside or view them differently when they are not personal.
The further away the events are from our personal lives, the less we think about them, even if they are horrific for others. We could dwell on this, feel selfish and shallow, and maybe change our lives to become saints, but mostly we file it away in a part of our brain that does not keep us from moving forward and enjoying our own lives. But many of these things do affect our lives, and it is essential to recognize that the news we read can manipulate us.
We want our news to be accurate. Unbiased and factual. The famous saying from the Superman comics is Clark Kent’s boss, Perry White’s statement on reporting, “Print the facts! Tell me who, what, when, where and why!” This was, and should still be, the cornerstone of accurate news reporting. It was once paramount to all other concerns of the reporter. We need to know if there is danger on the horizon, what is happening with the weather, crops, food supply, and society. But we also want to understand the world around us in a way that suits our needs and emotional state. For example, do we want to view the world optimistically or pessimistically? This is a choice. There are news sources that report accurate information but lean toward fear and scarcity, and others that present the same information but lean toward optimism and hope.
So, are you interested in evaluating your news sources objectively? This should be an annual task because the news you read shapes your thinking, views, decisions, and mood. It is easy to get habituated to news consumption or go lockstep with groupthink and popular beliefs. But at least once a year, you should ask yourself some questions. Are you satisfied with the news you are getting? Does it answer your questions and keep you properly informed? Do you notice a bias or tone from your news sources, and do you want that bias or tone in your thinking and attitude? News is essential not just because it gives you the information you need, but also because it frames your thinking and directs your state of mind and emotions. Depending on what news you get and how that news affects your feelings and state of mind, you make decisions that affect your life, your family, and your career or business. It is vital to choose your news carefully. Just as you look for the right foods, you should also spend time seeking out the right news to consume.
Reporting news is a business, which means money is essential to anyone doing it. This is a conflict, and even the best of people with good intentions can — and do — factor the money they make into their decisions. This is unavoidable and one of those messy facts of life. Equally important, because the news is something nearly everyone consumes, it is a powerful portal through which public opinion is shaped or manipulated. This means that anyone reporting the news has the power to influence public opinion and critical public decisions, like elections. This is why it is called the fourth pillar of democracy. It is critical to understand this point because the news can and does give power to important causes and people.
There are many reasons people, with good or bad intentions, wish to shape public opinion. Mostly it is for the power to control financial, social, political, religious, and environmental issues. Why does this matter to you? Because influence over these issues can affect how the government and society treat your health and life. Vivid, real-life examples include whether our country is at war, changes in policies regarding weather, healthcare, drug safety, and other concerns that can and will affect your life and health. Control over public perception also determines which politicians and political parties shape these decisions. These two dynamics—revenue generation and public perception shaping — create motives that conflict with accurate reporting. This does not make the business of news good or bad; it is the nature of human behavior. But if you ignore human tendencies, you live at the expense of that ignorance and lose control over how you consume news, relate to the world, and manage your emotional and mental well-being. The worst case is that you make ill-informed decisions that negatively impact your or your family's life.
We must question our information and its source. Who do you get your news from? Why do you read the news? What do you want to gain from reading the news? How do you want to feel about the world around you and your own circumstances? Do you want news that creates fear or optimism? These are essential questions.
Additional thoughts to reflect upon. But first, I do have an opinion on this topic, and it shows a bit in the following questions. I do not know the answers, I do not know the truth, but I do believe that most of what we read is influenced by powerful concerns that allow truth to come through only so much that it does not dominate or conclusively expose the whole truth.
How is it possible that the media never got to the truth about the John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, or Martin Luther King assassinations? Why hasn’t the truth about the half dozen wars that killed millions over the past fifty years been reported honestly? What about the truth involved in all the government and corporate corruption that happened during every one of those wars, or the Great Financial Crisis? It is not a lack of talent. Quite often, some reporters do actually report the facts, but they do not get the extended coverage of the mainstream media. Why not? Isn't the most likely answer that forces are working against the truth or to cover up facts about these major issues? Why? Could it be that the truth does not serve their interests?