BACK IN THE DAY

Years ago, when I was in a child and a young adult, in terms of video sources there were three options available for national news in central Ohio - ABC, CBS, and NBC. These each had a nightly news broadcast, and if you wanted to find out what happened in the country that day, or in the world, you watched one of these news programs on your television. If you didn't have a TV, or if you wanted to avoid those darned commercials, you might wait until the newspaper was delivered.

Regarding the TV news, for the most part what you saw each night was actual news. That is, you were presented with something that you didn't know about prior to the presentation. Alternatively, you might have heard just a bit of information about a newsworthy event on the radio, or from a friend, but you lacked details. Generally, the information provided was a presentation of facts and images with little or no opinion other than obvious comments. Such comments might include an expression of grief if a news story concerned deaths of others.  

The three news outlets recognized that their presentation would reach a large audience comprised of a variety of political perspectives. Viewers could be conservative, liberal, or independent. To avoid alienating a portion of the viewing audience, it was important to avoid political commentary and opinion. The idea was to focus on facts and to leave opinion to viewers. When opinion was presented, it was clearly labeled as such. 

Also, we understood that the news was presented by actual journalists. We were regularly reminded that, as journalists, the folks who prepared and presented the news were subject to professional standards and ethics. The news anchors were highly respected. Periodically, a journalist would be held accountable for presenting information that was inaccurate or had come from a questionable source. Therefore, we had reason to believe that stories presented to the public had been screened and reviewed to assure that it was accurate and credible 

TED TURNER AND CABLE TV

The news world, as described above, existed for many years and it was all I knew as I grew up. Then, when I was in college, things changed. Cable TV became more available and programs outside the three big networks began to become available. Of particular interest to us college students were MTV and ESPN. The popularity of MTV scarcely needs to be mentioned but ESPN was more notable. When it first came online, ESPN didn't have access to any interesting sports. Crazy as it sounds, me and many of my friends watched a lot of darts and Australian Rules football. It provided something to watch, and to joke about, while drinking beer.

A short time later, Ted Turner brought us the Cable News Network (CNN), which introduced us to the idea of 24/7 news. At first, guys like me couldn't have conceived of an idea more boring than non-stop news, but Terrible Ted knew what he was doing. We discovered that if you heard of any significant event in the U.S. or in the world, you could turn on your TV and immediately get some information, and probably pictures. You didn't have to wait until 6pm for the nightly news to come on. Eventually, everyone tuned in at some time or another.

MTV, ESPN, and CNN made everyone aware that interesting programming was available outside of the three big networks. All kinds of crazy cable programming became available. From my perspective, most of it seemed to be home-shopping related. 

THEN CAME THE INTERNET

Somehow, you got your hands on an AOL CD and you eventually opened it on your home PC. You were introduced to the terms "modem", "email", and "browser". Your internet connection required a telephone line. At first going "online" was a lark, then you began going online more frequently, then it became a daily thing. Eventually, you found out about Facebook and the rest is history.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Your news source. It used to be so simple - you got your news by turning on your TV at 6pm and watching a credible, professional journalist who was accountable for what he was saying. Polls now indicate that people get their news from a variety of sources - mainly on the internet. If you're reading this, and you're younger than age 30, you probably don't have anything that you would call a TV in your home. You do have several monitors, though. Additionally, you're not seeking news like us older adults. The news finds you through a pop-up on your screen, an instant message, or from some other means.

Interestingly, many people get their news from places not necessarily intended for that purpose - Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for example. Also, news comes from unvetted sources of every kind. As an illustration, someone you know forwards you an email from someone you don't know. The email includes a link to a page that you know nothing about. You read the email and forward it to 16 of your friends. That's how people are getting much of their news.

Journalistic Integrity. Unbiased, professional broadcast journalism no longer exists. The major networks are deliberately, and unabashedly, biased to appeal to a particular market segment. To confirm that they are biased, look for words like "unbiased", "trusted", and "fair". Their goal is to present you with things that you want to hear so that you will keep watching. They are screening the images you see, and tailoring the messages you hear, to appeal to you, if you're in their market segment. If you watch "news" on Fox, MSNBC, or CNN, the show that you're watching can hardly be called "news". It's 98% opinion. It is a short presentation of carefully selected information or factoids, along with images, followed by an overwhelming dose of commentary and opinion. Mainly, it is a vehicle for explaining how you should feel about the information and images you have been provided. The media is using the concept of "journalistic integrity" as screening mechanism. If they don't want you to know about something, it can be omitted under the guise of information that did not meet their journalistic standards. My scrambled brain perceives this as bullshit.

The Wonder of Social Media. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have enabled you to interact with those whose beliefs are consistent with yours, and to engage with strangers who may, or may not, be anything like the public profile available to you - you really can't know. You have the ability to screen out those whose beliefs and opinions are different than yours. 

So Many Choices. Very likely, someone has introduced you to a page on the internet featuring someone who says things you believe to be true, accurate, and useful. Most likely, this person can explain why people who have different opinions than yours are idiots. Those idiots to which he was referring, have links to similar pages, explaining why you are an idiot for having opinions different than theirs. Each of the people involved believe they are smarter, and wiser, than those who think differently than them. 

BOTTOM LINE

This is a dangerous game that is leading us to undesirable outcomes. You have selected yourself into groups receiving information from sources that know exactly what you want to hear, and they are pros at providing it. Your online "friends" believe exactly as you do. If they don't, they're probably not going to be your friends for long. You are told, and believe, that contradictory information is from liars, and those who believe it are idiots.

Suggest you read these comments about the News Media regarding the 2023 Presidential State of the Union Address.