Enough With the "Fake News" Label!

There continues to be much talk about "fake news" these days. Without question, it is the voice of President Trump that is the loudest when it comes to the use of this term. Others, of course, have picked up on it, but his remains the one that is most dominant.  In theory, the phase refers to those media outlets that make-up stories and then print, post or air them tough knowing they are false and/or misleading. In reality, at least when used by Trump, the term now seems to largely pertain to those stories that are critical or unfavorable rather than inaccurate. When it comes to the media, our President seems to have a low threshold as to what he considers to be "fake."

Presently, the general public seems to hold the media in low esteem. (In fairness, according to the Pew Research Group, it seems to hold the government in even lower esteem.) What makes this so hurtful to our nation is the fact it is the media that provides almost all of us with the information and context we depend upon in order to try and make informed decisions. But with the President so heavily and consistently critical of the media or press, it is understandable that many citizens are beginning to share his negative perspective. The result is this is not a good time to be working as a reporter or editor. 

With these sources of information seeing their credibility erode (along with that of government officials), it is no wonder that there is a disturbing portion of our society that seems lost when it comes to either having information it can count on as being accurate or fair. Many even seem to have difficulty identifying those media outlets that are honorable and trustworthy. All this represents a breakdown in communication - a social science we as a people need more than ever. The road to betterment needs to be navigated on truth. Truth is only as effective as how willing people are to give it their confidence. For that to happen, my hope is that all this "fake news" business will stop.