That is a phrase that puts millions of butts on the edges of millions of seats every single day. We are a country that just has to be in the know when it comes to the latesst news stories. And those of us who consider ourselves skeptics or critical thinkers are in a constant state of learning. Always trying to quench the thirst for knowledge.
What I would consider to be on the opposite end of that spectrum would be those who's gullible cup runneth over. Those who will believe anything regardless of how far out in left field it is. Yet in this day and age both the skeptics and the gullible are targeted by the weapon of misinformation. By whom you ask? Mainstream media.
I know that sounds a bit conspiracy theory-ish but upon closer examination it becomes all the more clear that this is quite true. Let me try and explain why.
Take almost every news story you see on this evenings broadcast. Any network at any time. I'm sure the big stories you will see are going to surround Ebola, ISIS, Ferguson, etc. with several filler stories mixed in between. No matter what news story you watch, no matter what news outlet you watch it on, it was probably wrong. With some stories it's more obvious than others but the majority of them are wrong. Most simply misrepresent good and true information. Others blatantly twist the information to promote an agenda. We see the latter in the relm of politics quite often. Many news organizations truly want to provide actual facts to the viewers but simply fail to do so.
Why?
Because reporting the news is no longer about facts. At least initially. Here is the order of importance when it comes to mainstream media news reporting:
1) Break the story first
2) Be the first on the "scene"
3) Get the first interview
4) Facts
I don't know about you but I see a real problem with facts not being at the top of the list. Don't believe me? Watch the news tonight. It's pretty clear. Far too often does a news organization have to change the information they present because the initial information was incomplete, incorrect, or fabricated based on assumption. It's never about facts first. And there is no news organization that will simply sit back and wait for all the information to be presented or be perfectly clear that information is not available. Recent history has given us perfect examples of this. Sandy Hook. Ferguson. Ebola.
As a skeptic you tend get your news from reputable news sources. You have researched which news sources are truly "unbiased" (Sorry Fox News this is not you) and watch accordingly. You base your opinions on what is presented as good information. The gullible with watch and believe anything (Including The Onion; believe me I've seen it happen). The bottom line is that it matters not whether you're skeptical or gullible you've both been had and that's a scary problem.
We want to trust the news to provide the public with information fast but not at the expense of the information itself. That's why it may appear outwardly that I stay just a step or two behind when it comes to the most current of events. I try and do a little research into a news story I find interesting before formulating an educated opinion. I've said it many times before but I would rather be right than to blindly believe.
Maybe one day when we turn on the evening news we will get to watch a media outlet that cares about being right more than being first. We can hope anyway.
