The industries known to provide the pubic with information and communications, also known as the media, have one very powerful commonality; their capacity to prioritize. The public has grown comfortable in the assurance that the media has it perfectly correct. That is an enormous responsibility that must be managed with mature conduct and above all, integrity. Unfortunately, reporting has, for the most part, morphed into a form of entertainment, where credibility is no longer of value.
Would it difficult to believe that Coup has taken place in broad daylight and virtually no one realized it? When a revolution happens overnight, it is obvious to all, but when change is gradual, it goes virtually unnoticed.
More significantly, the people have been denied the real world news, substituted by politics that proselytize on one ideology or another. It is as if we are told to focus on the shiny object, and pay no attention to the sinking ship we are on. It is easy to be lured into believing information by a charming, attractive person with a confident facade. Anyone with the skills of theatrics can appear credible and convincing. Voice skills, can be mastered with almost hypnotizing allure. The information age has become intertwined with the “misinformation age”.
Imagine, if you will, as a solution to bring back sanity, enacting a law forcing these media organizations that tend to “blur the line” between news and hearsay, to rename themselves based on truthful reality. These current news institutions should be forced to call themselves, for example “Political Gossip Network”. They should remain free to operate as things stand.
Another suggestion would be a law forcing newspapers to insert disclaimer in all headlines. TV and other visual media should be forced to run a banner at the bottom of news programs that are not truthful saying; “This network is not responsible for being factually truthful and may add commentary at any time that is biased.
As the counterpart, a new “News Without Commentary Network” should be established for each organization, reporting actual pertinent current news information only, without judgement. Besides allowing the public more choice, many jobs would be created as well. The News Without Commentary Networks would be subject to significant fines if they are found being manipulative or inaccurate.
