prairwarur Offline

Research

Please do your own research. This is the basic human right and privilege of all. It's our responsibility.

Let's take the topic of "fake news" as a for instance. The News seems to be the place most folks rely on to keep them informed about the world we live in, but what if that reporting is biased?
One side says, "oh, yeah! Fake news is definitely a thing!" And the other side just laughs, shakes their collective heads, and leaves it at that. But, do they ever consider that maybe bias is something that can enter a journalist? And, maybe that's not an issue for those whose own bias agrees with the reporters? It matters to me, though, and others like me who demand truth. Too many seem to think journalists are super-human who could never make the mistake of allowing their own bias to enter into their reporting. Guess what, though? They are human, just like the rest of us, and often they will lose their impartiality and lean into their own bias. They will seek out people to interview who are often of the same mindset. They will edit pieces to further push their own agenda, opinions, and yes, bias. Nothing new and yet it is a growing trend.

I started noticing how news reporters were changing the manner of reporting some 20+ years ago. As a Journalism student myself, I knew the importance of reporting from a pure, objective point of view. No commentary was to be included. That is referred to as Editorial, or Opinion pieces when personal commentary is included. These different opinions are important for informing others, but they are, after-all, opinions, or editorials, but definitely not news. They are opinion pieces that are neither truth, fact or fiction, they could be true of false, but they are still opinions of folks who gathered their own data and made their own decisions. So, based on the information these "journalists" have collected and formed into opinion, there remains the possibility they are grossly mistaken. That's not news, nor is it honest reporting, and they know this.

Journalism is simple, you report, and I decide what to believe or not. It is reporting facts as they unravel, or after news making events take place. Journalism is allowing others to see what is happening as if they were there, but not looking through the lenses of another. They report, then we take the facts reported on and we make our own decisions on the matter. Cleverly written, or spoken, words can change the entire picture. We have to be aware of certain words and catch phrases that taint news. Those who report the news know this and they know exactly how a well placed word of two, a catch phrase, can totally change the truth of a matter and bend the minds of their audiences. Enter propaganda.

It use to be that one did not have to be so savvy in recognizing catch phrases and words used in a propaganda style, or rather, maybe folks were smart enough to recognize the "hot words", and the catch phrases that were purely propaganda in nature? When people did see this type of reporting they reacted and spoke out against such bias and it was discouraged, labeled unprofessional and an antic used by dictators, or communistic countries, but always perpetuated by the "bad guys".

America, and much of the Western World, had free press and it was protected. We knew then how socialistic governments would command and own all the newspapers so nothing negative about said government could be reported. Own the press and you own the narrative. Speak the lies often enough and people begin to believe them. Control the news and reporters and you control the impression given to the world.

But, I grew up in the USA, after-all, and we had free and unbiased news and reporting. Until we didn't.

It will be the people that will change the way news is reported today. It will be ordinary citizens of any country that will restore reporting as it is intended to be.

How?

Well, friends, we are the cell phone generation. We are the news now. You see it daily, someone pulls out their cell phone and they record events as they take place. Even those can be edited, however, doing our own research on any matter is crucial and makes it easy to see what is false. Had it not been for cell phone video taken by average citizens, one major news story would have never been truthfully reported.

Remember the case against the Catholic high school kids in D.C.?

The accusation was made falsely, but the major news networks jumped right on board and reported bad information repeatedly. Several are being sued now for the damage their false reporting has done. They chose to run with a story without investigating further. They chose to enter their own bias into reporting and a young man's life was changed forever. They had an agenda, but folks stepped up with information that split their lie right open.

This quote says it all - "There is new information about a viral confrontation this weekend between a group of Catholic high school students from Kentucky and a Native American elder.
New videos reveal a fuller picture of what led up the clash and seems to show the students being verbally attacked first, by a different group of demonstrators at the Lincoln Memorial."

The students never did assault anyone, not verbally, nor physically, but reporters covering this story made it seem as they did. Edited video made this possible, but they did not count on the fact "We The People" are also armed with cell phones and able to show a bigger picture that is often left of by professional reporters.
This, my friends, is biased, unfair and dishonest reporting. I've had enough! And there will still be people who believe the first, false account given. They seem to be caught up so much in their own bias that the real truth will escape them.

You know what I do? I research, read, listen, and digest both sides of a story. Did you catch that? BOTH sides of a story, or as many sides as are being told. That's how I discover what is said and done. Then I can put together a better understanding. Then I can spot the lies told.
My objective is only this - truth. Sometimes truth hurts, and all the time truth frees us, even if that truth may be hard to swallow. Still, a hard pill to swallow or not - give me truth!

To get truth, we often have to lean on those who are negligent in reporting truth without bias. We need to let major news corporations know we are not interested in their ratings, or the way they sensualize reporting. We don't care what their opinion on any matter is, that is NOT news. But, we turn on the TV, and what do we get? News? No, we get commentary reported as if it is real news, but it isn't. What we get today is the opinion of the reporter, or news anchor, and more often than not, the opinion of the corporation controlling the reporters.

Take that if you want, but as for me, I'll research all that is said and reported until I can get to the bottom of any story. What I see reported today is appalling to me! I am old enough to have lived through events of the past and I witnessed these historical events first hand as they unfolded. Now we are being told a different story. Maybe it's because history is being changed right before my eyes and when history is change, it changes the minds of those being fed the propaganda? And maybe it is because too much bias is being introduced to what we rely on to stay informed? Whatever the reasons are, I'm doing my own research. I'll dig through past reports to see if these things truly happened or not. I'll keep digging until I see what is truly behind the things that divide us as a nation and a people.

So far, what I have discovered is a lot of dishonest reporting, an agenda put forth, and an attempt to control the minds of the people. Never allow someone else to do your own thinking! Never rely on the research of another. Do your own. As muddied as the water is today there has never been a time in our history that it is so important for every individual to be fully informed. And, since we cannot rely on what is called "journalism" these days, we have to be as dedicated and astute as possible to revealing truth like never before.

Please join me in discovering the truth and exposing the lies. It is time consuming, often brings a headache, but the rewards are the basic gratitude and pleasure of knowing that we are a free people who will only remain free as long as we refuse to be controlled by specific agendas. Be fully aware that those holding to an agenda and are in powerful positions are able and willing to control our news and reporting of the news. Their quest is power, or to attempt to remain in power and they know the best way is to control the narrative - control the thoughts of the people.

I am sorry we can no longer rely on what we believed was fair and honest reporting. Maybe this is a good thing, though? Maybe we became too lazy and too comfortable being fed the lies and propaganda and this is the way we'll be awakened to realize freedom is only free for those who will fight to remain free and not surrender to someone else's agenda?

Leaving you with a video from decades ago. Don Henley may be making a good point by pointing to the fact that many people helped perpetuate this style of reporting today because of their own need and demand for the "dirty laundry" of others. Could it be that too many are not as concerned with truth as pushing certain agendas? God help us!