Some media reporters unethically twist and omit facts and truth to reinforce their preconceived narrative. That dirty twist of blending truth with lies has been branded fake news.
The media was once reliable fact finders; the self-policing watchdogs to report verified truth with accuracy. Today we see argumentative anchorpeople manipulating newsworthy events into a daily soap opera dripping with biased perspectives. Their contrived, opinionated dialogue distorts or deemphasizes the “fact” news until it becomes “fake” news.
Media reporting needs a restart with new faces, clarity and guidelines that include strong consequences for those poorly doing their job. Honorable professions make negligence of duty, with or without malice, a punishable act.
News that was gathered and reported firsthand was fresher, closer and easier to verify with the original source. Specialization in newsrooms and newspapers likely has contributed to some inaccurate reporting. The more filters and influences the story travels through the more biases it picks up along the trail. Hyped-up reports that begin with “if that’s true” are unverified fake news. Reporting unconfirmed facts, assumptions and misleading conjecture is fake news.
Social media gives everyone who wants to report or comment on any topic a forum to speak out without censorship. Individuals are entitled to express their own opinions and viewpoints. Factual news reporting is no place for opinions and conjecture. Biased editorial pieces are not news and should stand alone. Hyped opinion, not truth, is fake news.
The public is suffering through the unhealthy marriage of corporate advertising, marketing and politics with supposedly unbiased news outlets. The government should consider presiding over the divorce to separate mass media ownership from business conglomerates. Reports tainted with corporal prejudices are fake news.
However it gets done, mass media outlets have to recreate themselves to become trustworthy again. Americans deserve that.
