One of my daughters shared information she learned about an actor I am particularly fond of, which in my opinion taints the picture I have of his character. It bothered me, even though I told her it would not. I decided to do a search on my own, and sure enough I verified the information. Or did I?
It’s interesting that my post this week is on media dishonesty, given the current world we live in. We assume because we’ve read something in print, or seen it on television, especially portrayed as a news article from a reliable source, it must be true. My research proves otherwise, which in the case of the information I learned from my daughter, I’m going to judge as false. (Just because I want to, since in my opinion it’s a defamation of character and I don’t have to believe it!)
I am amazed at the media information which is apparently dishonest on quite a large scale. According to an article I read, everything is verifiable if you look hard enough. Television news programs, reputable magazines and newspapers can be dishonest. Dishonesty can be verified by what we consider credible sources and people who have/had integrity and good character, so you have to dig deep.
Sometimes ‘dishonesty’ comes from honest misinformation, while others comes from outright lying, making up stories and people for interviews and creating quotes; falling for hoaxes and reporting on them as truths before further investigation; plagiarism; creating fake footage for news programs; bias; doctoring photos; conflicts of interest, even creating voicemails, faxes and web sites to help corroborate a story.
So how do we know when or what to believe when it is in print? And what exactly is “in print?” Articles written for the internet (including this one) needs no actual verification or approval. We have the right to write whatever we choose for any variety of reasons. It is up to the reader to question, research, qualify and verify said information!
Some information is very good, but an equal amount is very bad. The ethics involved include honesty and truth, but a grain of truth can be twisted to the unbelievable by those who interpret it. As reader you must read, then question what you are specifically looking for. Is it facts, research, opinion or even something different? Once you determine that, you will decide whether to accept the information just as you read it, or search for further validation.
My point to all this information is, we live in a world where the more unlikely, more bizarre, and unusual something sounds, is the most likely believed. We’ve created a culture who finds good and right, boring! It’s using tidbits of information to fabricate something outrageous because people find that interesting!
Information which can be made extraordinary or incredible is eye catching, grabbing the minds…..which can be placed strategically where readers can cause it to go “viral” yet it is poison. , A person can rise to instant stardom, -- or down to the depth of the earth, based on the information given.
Yet, while a person is willing to believe the most bizarre stories about people in the world around us, that same person is not willing to believe in the truths found in God’s Word, a book that’s been a best seller for a couple thousand years! How is that possible?
Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/search/bible/
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