by Dottie Britt

We currently live in a day of great technology which is a double-edged sword. We are able to have information at our fingertips 24/7. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean it’s always accurate information.

We are also in one of the most divisive times we have ever lived in. The two points have made for some really interesting conversations.

One of those is the idea of the “evil” “liberal” “fake” etc… media. This is a relatively new phenomenon and mostly promoted by our current President.

Who chose to go into the office of President and anytime a member of the Press said anything against him he would scream “Fake News”.

It’s not a new tactic, dictatorships have used it for decades.  If you discredit everyone against you then the people have no option but to believe you. And I know, there are people who will say, “The media has gone after Trump” to which I reply “He gives them ammunition daily by enjoying the sound of his own voice and seeing his own words”

No other President in history has tweeted as he does nor held press conferences the way he does which is going to automatically open him up. It’s sometimes like watching Good Fellas I keep joking we’ll find the bodies of journalists that dare to ask a hard question, floating in the river one day. 

The media is protected by the Constitution for a reason. They should be asking hard questions whether it makes him, you, or anyone uncomfortable or not. It’s their job! The founding fathers believed, and rightly so, that the Press should be able to keep the government honest.

They are there to protect us by giving and getting information that we wouldn’t otherwise ever know. And it’s a pretty thankless job. They don’t get paid a fortune, they take a lot of heat but they love their job. I grew up in the media, I know how it works.

And real journalists care about the facts, they care about their job. Just because a journalist says something you disagree with doesn’t make it “fake news”  a term I’ve come to despise. It means they are doing their job and probably very well. Of course, in this day and age of online bullying and political divisiveness facts are well…twisted and not appreciated unless one agrees with them.

This new “fake news” belief has also corresponded with an increase in the belief that almost everything is some sort of conspiracy. To that, I remind you, in order for any good conspiracy to work as few people as possible have to be involved. It limits the possibility of anyone talking. Because we are human, we like to share. But due to the internet (you know it’s all true if you find it there ha! ) theories are viral.

Which brings me to my final thoughts, we are all locked down right now in what feels like the biggest lab rat, science experiment ever. We are all on the internet more, and we are all getting cagey.

Keep that in mind as you are absorbing “information”.

I see more wrong information passed on usually in the form of a meme. Just don’t unless you have actually fact-checked it. Don’t be part of the problem…choose to be part of the solution.

Everyone stay safe…hopefully, this will all be over soon.