Monday, December 12, 2016

Fake News Revelations Should Not Shock Us

The Internet Is Ripe For These Stories
The recent revelations that some or even much of the news we see may be "fake" should not shock us. Much of what we hear and see put before us as news is not substantiated by real facts. This may be why many people have grown weary of the mainstream media constantly busy touting themselves as reliable reporters of a well grounded and honest portrayal of the world in which we live. Most of us have had our heads turned at one time or another by news that we have found out is a hoax but more concerning are the bits of news that we believe that ultimately damage and mislead society.

Ironically the false bastions of media honesty are not revealing some well-kept secret but merely rehashing what we have always known and desperately tried to forget. We are all pawns ruled by the money and influence of those calling the shots and guiding us into the future. This is not something that should bring comfort to any of us because this force is neither kind or benevolent. Making matters worse this is not a force that is well directed or necessarily competent. This is a force seldom focused on the goal of creating a better world but rather to promote its own self-serving interest. If in doubt remember the media is driven by ratings.

Pictures Can Be Easily Altered And Faked 
Confirming that someone else has been less than forthright does not elevate institutions such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, or PBS to a higher level. One fact you can take as truth is that the news, media, and the internet have all become so polluted by bias, lies, opinion, and repeated falsehoods that nothing you see should be accepted as real. Adding to our woes is that many of the people within both the media and government are simply not that smart. This means they unwittingly spread mistruths like a virus. this is not the first time that I have railed against the propaganda being placed before us as well as the government overreaching and trying to shape our views.

The fact that news is created in huge quantities and travels at the speed of light in our modern world only raises the need for people to become more skeptical and better informed. Some of the articles and stories presented to us as news is intentionally geared to mislead us and some are perpetuating falsehoods and myths we have been asked to accept. This gives us good reason to question the motives of those presenting the news, we should question the logic, and we should never give a pass to those claiming to be an expert. By not always looking deeper and peeking behind the curtain we do a great disservice to our country as well as ourselves and those we love.

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