Chapter III Verse VIII - Truth in The Media; Story at 11

We like to talk about how biased the media is. As usual when we generalize, some is true and some isn’t. As a truth seeker, I offer some tips for reading the news. Perhaps we can remove some of the bias while we are at it.

When sorting through the crap that passes for information these days it can be difficult to figure out where the garbage stops and the truth begins. Here are two things that may help:

1. How many people are saying the same thing?
a. Look at the information that everyone agrees on. If three news stations and two newspapers give you the same info there is likely some truth to it. It is also important thing to consider the part of the story that Fox News(How dare they put those two words together?) and the BBC News disagree on. This is not a foolproof method however, because many stories start from one or two sources. If these sources are bad then the basic elements of the story may be false.

2. Did they really say it?
a. Listen and read carefully. You can usually tell when a reporter does not have all the info. Consider the following two ways to report the same story: Police said a male body was found at Lyford Cay at 8.20 this morning. Officer Evans Walter said the man had been shot in the head. This is an example of a trustworthy sentence. The reporter could be lying but there is no confusion about what they are trying to express. On the other hand, we often get statements like; There were reports of a man’s body discovered in a wealthy eastern community this morning. Witnesses said he appeared to have been stabbed. Who made this report? Which community? What do you call wealthy? Which witnesses? How did he appear to have been stabbed; did they see a knife or the wound? The key is to remember what they actually said and what they are guessing at. Also notice that the second one has incorrect info. This is more common than you think.

Another thing to remember is that news does not look like news until it’s reported. People seem to have this idea that news makers have a magic machine that tells them what is important, how to write it and where to put it in the paper. They don’t. They get information from phone calls, other news providers, the government, organizations and the general public. It is not easy to tell which of this information is going to be important. Often you will get three calls at a time. Most of the time one reporter will have to deal with all three. It’s easy to look back and say, they should have spent more time on that story instead of this one but it’s not always easy to see that when it’s happening. So you concentrate on the one that you think is most important and keep an eye on the other two. And if you are wrong about it and miss a big story your ass is toast.

Bottom line? Check it out yourself. If something interests you, research it. Scan ten stories on the same subject. Learn about the people and organizations involved. You may find out that company you thought was so community minded is being sued for not paying national insurance. Call the ministry about something other than getting your cousin a job. Report that leaky pipe that is spewing our tax money all over the road. And make sure that what comes out of your mouth is as factual as possible.

- Dsus Pays