I have ranted before about the lack of real facts in current news feeds. And even when facts are presented, they are usually charged with syntax and vocabulary choices calculated to further one political cause or another.
This from Edward Wasserman, who teaches journalism ethics at Washington and Lee University, and published in the Miami Herald:
“All the media has to do is fact check a story first and present the truth instead of repeating lies over and over again in the interest of ‘balance’. Then we won’t have to worry about an ill-informed public not getting the information they need on important issues. Issues that actually have an impact on their lives, like health care.”
and
“Debunking falsehoods is fine, but the more that news media embrace it as if it’s a cure-all, the worse we’ll all be. The solution isn’t to refute, it’s to ignore. End the practice of rewarding the most sensational, the most irresponsible, the most baseless allegations with top-of-the-news billing.” (emphasis mine)
The bottom line here lies in personal responsibility. When those who read the news look for entertainment value somewhere besides the news, that will be a step in the right direction.
Yes, I’m talking about you.
