With the presidential election on the horizon as well as on the minds of the majority of America, it’s time to address the elephant in the House. As years go by and technology continues to advance, there has been an influx of news and an increasingly growing need to have an omnipresent source of media has become much more apparent.
Long gone are the days of radio and newspaper; society largely retrieves its news from social media such as Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter as a product of society’s need to be surrounded by worldly information. A wise man once said, “When they own the information, they can bend it all they want” — that man … was John Mayer. I, too, am waiting on the world to change, John. Social media gives so many people a platform to speak, but it becomes rather easy for people to manipulate information to fit a certain narrative.
The same can be applied to what news outlets have been doing for years. It comes as no surprise that many people are inclined to think of large media conglomerates such as CNN and FOX News when they think of media bias, but the truth is that there is no reporting without a reporting bias. We must always beware of PR and propaganda when attaining new information. In Journalism Ethics, we are taught that we must report facts as truthfully and unbiased as we can, but it’s naturally difficult to keep opinions out of reporting by nature of disseminating information. At the end of the day, media companies are owned by parent companies and they cater to specific audiences. When listening to such broadcasts, pay attention to the target audience and think about what those people want to hear.
Even when it comes to listening to another person’s opinions on politics, current events, etc., you have to keep an open mind. We often listen to authority figures and trust celebrities with unfailing loyalty and without question. As people, we must always remain skeptical of what we are told and wary of alternative possibilities: They might have their own personal bias or they might not be full informed themselves.
It’s your duty as a human to be as educated as possible when trying to stay informed, particularly when dealing with matters and decisions that affect not only your life, but lives of others as well, and you must be aware of how the decisions you make will impact everyone. You will need to do your own investigation — do background research into records from the most legitimate and reliable sources. After you’ve collected your information from various sources, it is up to you to formulate your own opinions about what is and is not true.
I once read a Tumblr post (yes, I’m still on Tumblr — not the point) that said, “The scariest thing in the world is that you never truly know what someone else is thinking.” This poses a horror to America, as politics isn’t known for how truthful it is. Politicians can lie through their teeth and say whatever they think the people want to hear in order to get a vote … but actions speak louder than words. You need to look into the candidates’ platforms, how that corresponds with their past voting history, and what they have done during their time in office. Cast your net wide and check your facts; do not retrieve news from one medium, let alone one source. It is up to you to stay up-to-date on news and politics in your country and only vote if you are educated on all candidates.