Truthiness and Laziness

Frankly, I don’t care whether or not Trump paid $130-thousand to keep Stormy Daniels from talking about their relationship. If she did, more power to her. Regardless, the story is a distraction from more impactful concerns. Photo Source: Pinterest

It’s easier to overcome a lack of information than misinformation or disinformation.

—CNN Pundit

Unfortunately, the claim of “Fake News” resonates on both the left and the right. Trump called CNN “The Clinton News Network” during in the election, falsely claiming that the network only carried negative stories about him. For decades, my more liberal friends have referred to Fox News as “Faux News.”

I’m not citing the two claims as equivalent. In a sample of one, I once got a Republican friend of mine to reluctantly agree when I called the Republican Party “the political arm of Fox News” because it certainly seemed that the network established the Republican talking points on a daily basis. At the same time a study found that people who scored worst on a questionnaire about current events listed Fox News as their primary news source while those who scored best said their primary news source was … Comedy Central.

On the other hand, CNN at least tries to rely on factual reporting. They don’t always succeed. And I don’t believe the Democratic Party is organized enough to be the political arm of anything.

Finally, this whole problem with confidence in the media derives from laziness.

When I was a child, Walter Cronkite was the voice of reason and truth. We believed him because he did his homework.

Today, the media seems much more focused on conflict than truth. Reporting is considered unbiased when they bring two talking heads together to argue without fact checking either side of the argument. Arguments are drama, the verbal equivalent of a bloody lead. Facts are boring.

Politicians are eager to exploit this laziness, which enables them to spout whatever truthiness their base wants to believe. This laziness, along with the ever increasing political siloization, brought us to the current government shutdown, at least partially because Senate leaders Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer “are not in the habit of talking to each other,” according to one Senate aide.

Call to Action

We need to hold our leaders accountable for the mess in Washington. That means notfollowing the party line of either major party. It means looking beyond the distraction of the 24-hour news cycle and the endless parade of forgettable pundits. It means doing the work of fact checking with reliable sources.

Here’s a hint: If you agree with most of what you hear on your primary news source, it’s probably not factually reliable. If it relies on attacking the character of its opponents, it’s definitely unreliable.

Truthiness is the enemy of democracy and the tool of authoritarianism.