The never-truth era: Media and belief
What do you believe when it comes to ...?
It is a pretty common question but there is a more important one I think, Why do you believe...?
I find it interesting these days when people talk about Fake News as if there is something other. Yes, there are actors spreading all kinds of propaganda and engineered data but when it comes to news, it is rarely factual. For the most part, it is opinionated, skewed and there are agendas at play. This is why two news outlets can have such wide variances in position on the same topic. If they were talking fact, positions would be much more closely aligned.
I have always found it interesting that people trust news services even though when they know about a topic in the news, they can pick out errors consistently. Everyone should assume that every article carries at least the same level of error that an article they know a great deal about holds. That means there is a lot of trash in the news, doesn't it?
So, why are you watching, reading, listening? What do you get out of it? How affected are you?
People like to get information that agrees with their world view and the news they get is no different, it is entertainment that satisfies an emotional need. They watch what they like because it supports them and feels good and, what they don't like because it feels good to disagree with other groups. How many actually question their preferences either way though, how many question why they have preferences at all?
After all, if one is watching the news and wanting the best information, preference as to what that information is should have no bearing on the enjoyment whatsoever. People should be just as happy to get information that supports them as information that contradicts them.
If one could guarantee that every bit of information they received was factual, would they want that? What would happen to preferences and beliefs if one can be 100% guaranteed that the information provided is in actual fact, fact? Would that be the kind of world you would want to live in? What would that world look like, what would our dreams of the future look like if we actually knew what was factual in each moment?
It isn't going to happen though is it? Even 'to the best of my knowledge' is not going to come close to fact and the news services have no qualms about positioning their information to meet their own ends. Either to drive the message they want to drive or get the traffic and time on site they most definitely crave.
The news media has been devoid of ethical consideration for a long time and the first thing on the cutting block was truth. It isn't the post-truth era now, it was the never-truthful era and always has been. As soon as value was added to holding or providing information, truth was bound to suffer as it become a competitive advantage to push one position over another, withhold here, embellish there.
Try this, pick up an article on a topic you know a great deal about and pick out the errors and the question marks within it. How many were there? Next, pick up an article you know nothing about and pick out the same number of errors.
Next, pick up an article on a topic you strongly agree with and pick out the same number of errors again. Do the same with an article you strongly disagree with too.
Hows it going? How objective are you when you are reading these articles? How willing are you to disagree or agree with what has been presented? Who was telling the truth, Clinton or Trump?
Without fact, we act on our beliefs but when we read what we read and believe it as fact, we are opening ourselves up to the skewed views of an agenda'd broadcaster. Just because they say what we want to hear, it doesn't mean what they present is worthy of knowing or acting upon now that our own position is good.
We live in a world where our knowledge about the current events of that world signals our level of education or qualification yet, if that information is obtained through news and personal/group motivations, you can almost be guaranteed that it is filled with errors. The closest we can ever get to the facts of a situation is to have lived it and even that is filtered through our own tinted glasses.
In my opinion, we should be much more discerning with the information we open ourselves up to and allow into our decision making centres. We should question that information regardless of how we feel about it or, if it makes a mockery of what we believe. Belief can change as it is not fact. Actions can change also for that is what action is, a changing of position.
The problem with fake news isn't that people are reading it, it is that people are believing it and acting upon it. Perhaps if we asked 'why we believe what we do' a little more, we would be better able to identify how we are manipulated and, who is doing the manipulating.
In my opinion, one doesn't need 98% of the news that is ever broadcast and the 2% that is required can be found from more reputable, specialized sources. What I have found from my own experience is that the people who consume the most news and are proud of their worldly knowledge, know the least about the practical nature of the world itself.
They have bought into the illusion and it makes them feel good.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
Absolutely! I think it would make the world a lot more interesting. People will be forced to form their own analyses and conclusions based on facts rather than having opinions spoon-fed to them by the media.
it would be interesting as to what conclusions they would draw from it.
To me any real news would be unbiased, but this is truly impossible as each person has filters in how we hear and read things. So the newscaster will without fail put their bias into anything they report, even if they think they aren't. They will scan the supporting "facts" and find the ones that fit the narrative that fits into their personal bias. Then they present these facts in a way that makes their story look like it's the whole picture completely ignoring all the "facts" that didn't support their bias.
Dead on. Most "news" isn't anything you need to now about or care about. Sorry, but hearing about the rapes, murders, and other negative fear mongering crap the nightly "news" spreads is only talking about the worst people in the world in an attempt to capture our attention with shock factor. Problem is what was shocking previously is not longer as we have been desensitized due to repeated bombardment of this type of news.
Worst part is that you are now fixated on the evil of the world after watching this right before bed. In the back of your mind you are thinking about rape, kidnapping, murder ext as you try to lay down to sleep. You may not even realize the thoughts are there, but we can't help it.
Want a better night sleep, remove all sources of "news" from your evening routine. Instead find positive educational information to listen to, read, or watch. Use the time right before bed for personal growth and you will find yourself sleeping better and growing as a person.
I actually had this to write about on my agenda tonight.
I once gave a talk at a conference in San Diego. Later I was interviewed by a reporter about some of the topics I brought up. The next day not only was I misquoted but it was like we were at two different conferences! Since then I have never looked at the news media the same way.
Two people in the same room seeing very different things is more common than not. I attribute it to two things, bias and perspective. If you have a preconceived view of something it’s very difficult to see it any other way and depending on where you stand, literally or figuratively, you can see something completely different than everyone else. I have come to believe that the reporter probably was competent but heard and saw only what he could, given his perspective.
If this is true of all of us, what can be done? One way is to align our beliefs with the probabilities. Casinos, insurance companies and hedge funds make exorbitant profits over time by simply taking advantage of the odds. Imagine what that could do for our thinking.
Just because there are two explanations for something does not mean they are equivalent. The pyramids could have been created by (slave?) labor or by ancient aliens. Clinton and Trump have both been caught lying but only one lies like the rest of us breath. There is no equivalency between the two but our beliefs make us blind to that fact. If only we could play the odds.
Yes, this is the lesson for every story one ever reads.
Which view was more sensationalised, yours or his?
There is no equivalency between the two but our beliefs make us blind to that fact.
Not every debate is created equal. This is a problem when someone argues for creationism against scientific evidence. There is nothing to argue against as there is no evidence on one side other than words in an old book.
I listen to all kinds of news . I try and gather enough info before making an opinion . problem with that is that it take a little longer to come to a conclusion . so I'm always a day late . Its hard and time consuming to find the facts from the opinion .
If you can not defend / debate your opinion maybe its not your opinion that you have and just following along with the flow
It is similar to the idea that if you are upset when someone criticizes your beliefs, you don't fully believe them.
I agree with this viewpoint. A lot.
'We should question that information regardless of how we feel about it or, if it makes a mockery of what we believe.'
I think so very much, but that's the hardest thing to do too.
I think one of the biggest problems we have today, moreso than any news being "fake" is that we consume way more news than we have need of. Like you said. We're overwhelmed with useless or near useless information, and we process it at such a rate that it's not much use to us besides that we might could recite an unverified quote or two.
To truly understand anything in full reality, you have to have lived it. We can't live everywhere and in everything that happens all at once. No one can. So we all have skewed viewpoints, and the more information we become swamped with the weaker our truth filters become. And the more likely we are to forget that we should even use them. This is scary and real. One of the biggest problems of our day. We seem to know so much and in truth so little all at the same time.
I'll just say this is one of your great articles.
I'm sorry... but I've lost a half-a-page comment on your post (somehow I've been logged out while writing it), so I'm not going to re-write it.
lol. i hate it when these things happen. With posts I usually write them in wordpress as drafts but with comments, it is very frustrating.
Thanks :)
Sometimes I have the inspiration to copy them before hitting "Comment", especially with the long ones, but this time I didn't.
I do this. We all do. Whether consciously or subconsciously. Who do we trust then?
we all like but too many echo chamber themselves and avoid 'negative' information. Information is information, it is neither positive or negative.
It is always difficult to form a true vision on things what are happening in the world. I do absorb the information and try to form my own opinion. Knowing that, when not involved directly, I will probably never have access to the single truth.
Had a lengthy discussion some time ago about when a fact a fact is.
We came to the following conclusion: a fact is only a fact in a discussion when all parties involved in the discussion consider the fact a fact!
pretty much. The facts are there but whether a human is capable of actually perceiving it is another matter.
bingo, although I disagree that people choose the news they like or that makes them feel good, all cable news to me seems geared to make their viewers angry and scared, the opposite of feeling good.
that is why they watch it. They like the emotional drama of it.
it's like the 2 minutes hate from 1984 but it is on 24/7