I come from and age when communication was of high quality, reliable and trusted. For most of my life, I've been able to read things and accept them as fact.
When I was brought up, we had no TV, not an awful lot of radio and only a couple of weekly newspapers. We did know what was going on in the world. In fact, we knew a lot about the world.
I remember hearing Hitler speak. He was scary and as a little boy , I recognized that. I remember a broadcast describing troops loading on ships to come back to Canada after the war.
Most of all , as an adult, I've appreciated well written news items. Items that were in clear writing and had been well researched. We could rely on the news we were getting.
Over the years, the news industry has cut staff so there are fewer good writers and they do not have time to do thorough research on a topic. Things have become very sloppy. Errors were easy to spot.
With the news business becoming weak as in not good quality, an opportunity was set up so that unscrupulous groups found out that they could produce news features that could be twisted so that their extremist ideas could be widely publicized.
Large and profitable news organizations have been formed to pass off slanted material as truth. They are making fortunes. Unfortunately many people are believing and influenced by the garbage they put out.
The the war in Ukraine, I realized that both sides are peddling their own views of the war. I pick the Ukraine as the good guys. That's easy. But I have recognized that the Ukrainians are spinning the story the way they want the world and Russians to see it.
So recently , I've had to ask myself , "Who do I trust?"
So for those whose eyes aren't glazed shut, who have we got that we can trust?
The world and media has certainly changed. I trust CNN, I avoid Fox news locally and nationally. I go through ABC and CBS internet sites too, but if you want to see what the other side of the world emphasizes, looking a BBC.com gives an interesting view from across the pond. I trust the CDC, in spite of it changing suggestions as they learned more about covid. I trust Web MD and Medscape.com as quick medical sources because I need accurate info. Medscape still describes some research, but sometimes the case studies are small in number, so the significance diminishes with that. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI watch the news but I don't trust it. I like to be informed on what is happening in the world but I have learned to be cautious in what I believe. It is a shame so many news organizations seem to put their own slant on the news.
ReplyDeleteYes, what's happened to factual reporting? It doesn't sell.
DeleteI tend to check several outlets for the news so I can compare the reporting. I do tend to avoid FOX news but will pop in just to see what they’re writing. I hope what I believe is the truth. I hope.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Fox news. but then I don't watch TV for one minute a year.
DeleteRed, It fascinates me that you said, "I don't watch TV for one minute a year." Do you mean you don't watch the news on TV or do you mean you don't watch any TV at all? I know you like radio, you've told us about that before. So do you get all your information from radio and the web? Just wondering. John
DeleteYour comment about recognising that Hitler was scary, even when you were little boy, reminds me of an anecdote told by Oliver Sacks. A group of people with severe learning difficulties heard Ronald Reagan speak on TV. They couldn't understand much of what he was saying, which was a serious political speech, but immediately they burst out laughing. The reason was that, though they didn't understand his words, they did understand his tone of voice and knew that he was lying, so they assumed it must be a big joke. It's amazing how insensitive most of us are to what are obvious untruths.
ReplyDeletethere are also differences when we listen to different languages.
DeleteWhen it comes to the news media of any sortI think we tend to trust whom we want to believe. Almost all news media is owned these days by people or organisations with an agenda (as you said) and I read everything with a pinch of salt.
ReplyDeleteI used to naively rely on sources I agreed with. Now I find they are spinning too.
DeleteI think nowadays we have to read a variety of news from a variety of sources and essentially reach our own conclusions. I do trust The New York Times, having worked there for many years, but I know many people believe it to be the "liberal media." There's still a lot of good reporting going on; we just have to be conscientious about our sources. I think the biggest problem is people taking stuff they read on social media from almost ANY source as gospel.
ReplyDeleteYou sort of point uot here that one problem is that people only follow one source.
DeleteThe decline in the quality and veracity of journalism has stopped me from paying attention. I can barely stand to read the headlines anymore. I think the 24 hour news cycle that began in the late 1980s created this precipitous fall. I subscribe to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle. I support journalism and hope good journalism survives and beats the profitable news organizations.
ReplyDeleteYou are certainly paying attention and looking for information if you are reading three different papers.
DeleteI read from a variety of sources and find Reuters to be probably the most objective. You're right, there seems to be exaggeration in both liberal and right-wing publications, so what I do is read widely and note the points on which most sources agree. I look at the people they interview and if I am not familiar with them I try to look into their background. Often it is relatively clear if they are bull****ing in the interview or whether they are fact-based in their approach. It's not a fast or easy process and I don't do it for every single news issue because I don't have the time. But when I feel it's important to understand, I try to go deeply into a subject.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steve Reed.
ReplyDeleteSteve's comments are interesting as he was in the business.
DeleteGreat question, Red. It has become harder to know who to trust. In the US I watch ABC Evening News with David Muir. Even he is spinning things the way the ABC Network wants. Years ago I enjoyed the BBC news on shortwave radio. Of course, it is available on the internet now. I should try listening there. My favorite newspaper is the New York Times. I am well aware that many think it is too liberal. One of the big issues now is the way social media spreads fake news. It seems a large percentage of people are gullible and easily absorb false information. Thanks for a thought provoking post.
ReplyDeleteThere's all kinds of pitfalls waiting for us on social media.
DeleteWell you reflect some of my own experiences and thoughts exactly. Millions of Americans not knowing who or what to trust preceding the attack on the nations capital led by a former president who is the con artist liar and cheat. Winston Churchill once said democracy is the worst form of government except for all the rest. I'm hoping and even believing that in the long run it shall prevail
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I hope democracy prevails.
DeleteI agree with Mr. Edwards, above, who says we tend to trust those we want to believe. So it's crucial to read and listen to journalists with a skeptical and critical eye and ear -- especially those we're likely to agree with -- and also to consult several sources with different points of view. No one has a monopoly on the truth.
ReplyDeleteYou're suggestion is right but very few people are able or willing to put in that much effort to evaluate what is close to correct.
DeleteThe main stream media is not trustworthy. The local news have day old Facebook stories. Trust no one...except people who are there.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about people being there. Too much news is made up in a large facility where people don't go out of the building.
DeleteThe words "trust but verify" come to mind. We need to always take in information with a critical eye, but I do believe there are still trustworthy sources.
ReplyDeleteWe have to use some judgement as we take in the news.
DeleteI vastly prefer newspapers to television news.
ReplyDeleteTelevision gets trapped into putting on a good show rather than telling the news.
DeleteI also subscribe to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic. I think the BBC and CDC are usually well researched. It is a problem, though. I cannot imagine getting my news from social media!
ReplyDeleteYou put your finger on one of the big problems. People put very little effort into using judgement when listening to the news. Social media makes it too easy.
DeleteI trust newspapers for news. I don't have a TV and don't get my news there. As for who do I trust, it is anyone with a well reasoned argument and a mind like Walter Cronkite.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch one minute of TV a year. News casts tend to be shows .They are looking to entertain people.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch the news on TV, in particular the MSM. I read the local paper and a wide variety of online news. Rumble.com has a great lineup of shows including Dan Bongino, Sean Hannity, JP Sears (talented comedic views on the news), Canadian lawyer Viva Frei, and so many more.
ReplyDeleteThere are sometimes analyses of the slants of various news organzations. For example, and if IIRC, the Globe leans a little right and the Star a little left. I think if you understand their biases, it helps. Again IIRC the National Post is further right, and the Sun even more so. There are pretty good people on social media. David Frum comes to mind. He is somewhat conservative, but not a Trumper by any stretch of the imagination. I find him on Twitter; he writes for The Atlantic.
ReplyDeleteNews seems to be more about opinions now instead of just reporting what's going on. I want to be told the facts and be able to come to my own opinions about it.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI tend to flip around the news channels. I have a favorite but I will listen to others just to hear their opinions. Take care, enjoy your weekend.