Sensationalizing Misinformation

Now that I am officially, an internet journalist as well as a minister; I am constantly vigilant about confirming the information I publish.  When I only posted Scriptural messages, it was easier, as I could pray and seek YHWH or Y'hshuwah to learn details and be corrected when I was in error.

Our news is not that simple.  There is a ton of conflicting information available and sorting through the facts verses fiction is difficult enough, then there is the political bias that literally causes the facts to lean.  We can actually obtain factual information, but add the political bias, which of course produces blame and or defensiveness and the factual information becomes editorialized.

In proclaiming Scripture, G-d is truth and it's that simple.  Now, as with the news, we all have our own interpretation of understanding, and that's where the problem lies.  Whether it's a new denomination or news source, sensationalizing is what spreads.  Then like the old fashioned game of "Gossip," the story is ever changing and ever growing.  Sadly in this age of digital information it's very difficult to reclaim the original message.  I was sent a link last week, that just didn't ring with me, and thankfully, I didn't run it.  The retraction at the site was adequate, I suppose, but the false story itself was so hideous, I'm not even including the site and they've lost their credibility for future articles.

Just today, I was searching for the education data in the United States.  The states used to be listed in order of education standards.  Now that we have common core curriculum, I can't find those old stats that I could once access.  I'm not saying they no longer exist, I'm just saying there's a new priority at Google, thus a different understanding for the general population.

There are now two generations of people who do not remember life before the microwave oven.  There is a generation that won't remember a home phone or landline, except at Grandma's, and the generation before that only knows of a dial phone as retro decor.  There is a generation of people who have no idea a CD used to be obtained at a bank, before those same letters were used in the music and computer industry and then replaced with DVDs.   All of the references in this paragraph are true references, but they mean something different to various readers.  None of this was misinformation, and fortunately there is no need to blame anyone, but the interpretation and understanding is simply different based upon age.

We have an aging population that will continue to divide over the death of President Kennedy and the value of the Reagan presidency, and every account bears some merit in the telling.  It is the fervent prayer of this journalist to bring true news.  I'd like to be on the cutting edge of breaking news, as well, but never at the expense of sensationalizing misinformation.