A Freedom of Information Act request recently published cascades of emails that expose months-long coverups about mask-effectiveness, gain-of-function research, and possible laboratory origins of COVID-19. The scandal has also enveloped some of the biggest names in media as being either complicit or incompetent.
This is only the most recent scandal to diminish the American people’s trust in media. Already in January, a survey found that 58 percent of Americans agree that “most news organizations are more concerned with supporting an ideology or political position than with informing the public.” Most, (56 percent) believe the press is “purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.”
We are in a truth crisis that is polarizing the American public. But the situation is not hopeless. We are not helplessly at the mercy of a few media moguls. There are a few simple principles that can equip good citizens to reclaim the noble task of seeking the truth. Below are six of them.
First, slow down! Take a deep breath. Misinformation thrives on breathless haste. Time is your ally. Use it. Social media and cable news are designed to manipulate your emotions and make you feel like you are "missing out" if you are not the first to “know.” Resist their manipulation by suspending judgment.
The truth will out. Every lie has a shelf life. Eventually, it will expire and be exposed. So, take every precaution to avoid ruining your own reputation by repeating it to your friends.
Second: Never trust an anonymous source--ever. In a world where our eyes and ears cannot be everywhere, we rely heavily on the reportage of others. This requires a high amount of trust in persons to be fair, objective, comprehensive and accurate. That is a tall order.
When you must rely on others, the good name of the source is everything. If that source has no name, you have nothing. Anonymity makes it cost free to reveal difficult truths. It also makes it cost free to lie. Truth is a serious and costly enterprise. Any source unwilling to pay that cost is not yet a serious source.
Third: Reputation matters. It takes years to build a reputation as a truth teller. (See point one, above.) One single lie can undo a reputation built on a hundred truths. Serious sources will take that into account every time they open their mouths. And, if they ever make a mistake, they will be the first to tell you—not the last. They will openly repent and not try to cover up their lie.
What is true of individual people is also true of institutions. Truthfulness and honesty must be perfect. A 99-percent accuracy rate does not make us suspect a lie in only one percent of statements. It raises doubt in everything that news outlet prints—and it should! Past lies and inaccuracies should not be rewarded by continued trust.
Any news source that publishes false information--no matter what its motivation and no matter how long it has been trusted--should be forever distrusted. The only way to regain a lost reputation is by early, self-humiliating, and public retraction of the falsehood. Small print on page seven, months after the false story, should not rehabilitate your trust in a newspaper.
Fourth: Trust your own eyes. God gave you eyes, ears and reason specifically for discovery of the truth. Use them. The only time you need sources at all is when you are physically unable to be there. If you have firsthand knowledge, never let anyone gaslight you into thinking you didn’t see what you saw or hear what you heard.
Fifth: Do your own research. “Authorities” can be helpful--once you have established their bona fides (good faith). But putting unquestioned trust in anyone other than God is simply wrong. We may give provisional trust to authorities because they both have training and have promised to operate ethically. But if any authority violates ethical standards—even once—he has discredited himself and should be ignored. This is not a harsh and uncharitable judgment. This is simply the truth.
Sixth: Care more about the truth than about defending your position. Winning the argument is not the goal. Knowing the truth is. When defending your own opinion, rid yourself of emotional attachments to it. And don’t treat people with opposing opinions as enemies. They are, rather, friends who can work together with us to follow the evidence and discover the truth.
These few, simple steps can help us find our way out of a labyrinth of lies. No longer isolated in a thousand darkened tunnels, we can gather together in the light of truth and get back to the task of living.
Also published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on June 11, 2021.
Thank you, this is terrific - must reading for today’s journalists, who over-rely on anonymous sourcing. While, as a former journalist, I am willing to forgive journalist who publish information that later proves false, they first must admit and correct the record. I am still waiting for the New York Times and Washington Post to return their tainted Pulitzers for false reporting on the Russia collusion hoax.
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