One of the first things I want to talk about in my Blog, simply because it is so important in today's America, is the polarization of our nation that has become increasingly worse over the past decade. I want to share some of my own insights on the subject and ask that others weigh in and let me know their thoughts.
If we look at the political spectrum right now in America, politicians seem to be increasingly headed toward the fringes of the political left and right on most all issues concerning our great country. That is concerning for many reasons. In environments like this, living at the fringes leads to extreme viewpoints that are often not in the best interest of the vast majority of the citizens of this great nation, or in the best interest of the current and future stability of America.
Living at the fringes also leads to citizens taking on viewpoints that are extreme. If we look at the media in America, it seems to foster an environment in some cases that encourages extreme viewpoints on issues. I am not speaking of only one side here, but of the media as a whole; whether bias falls to the right or the left. Some media outlets lean far right to hard right (Fox News, The Daily Caller, Red State, The Blaze, Breitbart, Info Wars, etc.), and some lean far left to hard left (Occupy Democrats, Addicting Info, Natural News, US Uncut, The Huffington Post, MSNBC, etc.).
Then we have news sources that historically cover both sides fairly and have a history of breaking good stories and utilizing hard facts and good sources for their news stories (NPR, BBC, The Washington Post, The New York Times (Not to be referred to as 'The Failing New York Times'), Reuters, Associated Press, ABC, NBC, etc..
Obviously the list above is not all-inclusive, but it serves to represent the fact that there are scores of news outlets, but those outlets cannot all be considered balanced, and in many cases some can be considered nothing more than conspiracy provocateurs such as Info Wars. Info Wars is an outlet that relies more on conspiracy theories than facts. When they use facts, those facts are modified in such a way that they end up serving false narratives that are published as factual news stories put out over social media platforms to influence the impressionable minds of millions.
Technological advancements over time have been necessary for humankind to survive and thrive in the world. Technology, however, is a double edged sword when it comes to politics and news in general. If you all remember a time many years ago before the Internet connected the entire world, people received their news from local news outlets that all employed many journalists who would travel to the news, document it, research big stories, get to the bottom of the facts, and put out great material for all to enjoy while sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper, or watching the local news at lunch or after dinner. There were a few large news networks that employed scores of journalists travelling the globe covering the big news stories that erupted in as close to real time as they could.
Times have changed. Large companies have bought out much of the local news market, newspapers have been shutting down in droves, local news outlets are skeletons; having been stripped of journalists and other important staff, and the news has become an instant, live stream, in your face experience. Something happens and within seconds millions of people are watching live coverage on their tablets, computers and cell phones.
That immediate news coverage is great in a sense, but news manipulation is what really concerns me at this point in our history. Outlets operating on the fringes feel it ok to stretch the truth and bastardize facts to help further agendas. Completely false narratives are being published on a regular basis and shared across all social media platforms. Much of the news is skewed to the right or left, leaving Americans wanting the truth in a position where they have to watch multiple news sources to get to the bottom of an issue.
I recently spent time watching Fox News and MSNBC cover the news on a very busy news day. There were 2 big stories to cover that day, both of which could easily be covered in a way that was fair to the viewer; a way that didn't skew the facts, omit important information, or redirect viewers to other information in order to avoid covering what didn't fit the narrative of the network so-to-speak.
Had I been a person who just watched one of those two channels and didn't look at multiple news outlets for my news, what I would have received was either a far right or far left version of events, in both cases being presented by channels that were modifying the facts, omitting certain facts, and skewing the stories to fit their viewpoints. That isn't news folks. That is simply wrong.
People consistently say that they know what is right and factual, and to that I call bullshit. Every day I look at my social media accounts, and Facebook is the best example. It takes me no more than a minute to happen by a story someone posted or meme that states some sort of political data that is completely fabricated and false. Yet, people post these stories and pictures and present them as fact, even though they are completely false. Often times when I jump in and show the individual who posted something that it is indeed not true, the response I get isn't, "Thank you. I appreciate that and will take it down." It is usually, "Well, it may not be true but it proves the point I was trying to make." No, it doesn't prove anything except that facts aren't as important as they used to be.
I am going to make this a multiple part blog, as it is beginning to get long. Please provide your comments and let's start a conversation about what I have presented in this blog. Have a great day, and remember, Facts are Important!
Stephen Dunkel
If we look at the political spectrum right now in America, politicians seem to be increasingly headed toward the fringes of the political left and right on most all issues concerning our great country. That is concerning for many reasons. In environments like this, living at the fringes leads to extreme viewpoints that are often not in the best interest of the vast majority of the citizens of this great nation, or in the best interest of the current and future stability of America.
Living at the fringes also leads to citizens taking on viewpoints that are extreme. If we look at the media in America, it seems to foster an environment in some cases that encourages extreme viewpoints on issues. I am not speaking of only one side here, but of the media as a whole; whether bias falls to the right or the left. Some media outlets lean far right to hard right (Fox News, The Daily Caller, Red State, The Blaze, Breitbart, Info Wars, etc.), and some lean far left to hard left (Occupy Democrats, Addicting Info, Natural News, US Uncut, The Huffington Post, MSNBC, etc.).
Then we have news sources that historically cover both sides fairly and have a history of breaking good stories and utilizing hard facts and good sources for their news stories (NPR, BBC, The Washington Post, The New York Times (Not to be referred to as 'The Failing New York Times'), Reuters, Associated Press, ABC, NBC, etc..
Obviously the list above is not all-inclusive, but it serves to represent the fact that there are scores of news outlets, but those outlets cannot all be considered balanced, and in many cases some can be considered nothing more than conspiracy provocateurs such as Info Wars. Info Wars is an outlet that relies more on conspiracy theories than facts. When they use facts, those facts are modified in such a way that they end up serving false narratives that are published as factual news stories put out over social media platforms to influence the impressionable minds of millions.
Technological advancements over time have been necessary for humankind to survive and thrive in the world. Technology, however, is a double edged sword when it comes to politics and news in general. If you all remember a time many years ago before the Internet connected the entire world, people received their news from local news outlets that all employed many journalists who would travel to the news, document it, research big stories, get to the bottom of the facts, and put out great material for all to enjoy while sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper, or watching the local news at lunch or after dinner. There were a few large news networks that employed scores of journalists travelling the globe covering the big news stories that erupted in as close to real time as they could.
Times have changed. Large companies have bought out much of the local news market, newspapers have been shutting down in droves, local news outlets are skeletons; having been stripped of journalists and other important staff, and the news has become an instant, live stream, in your face experience. Something happens and within seconds millions of people are watching live coverage on their tablets, computers and cell phones.
That immediate news coverage is great in a sense, but news manipulation is what really concerns me at this point in our history. Outlets operating on the fringes feel it ok to stretch the truth and bastardize facts to help further agendas. Completely false narratives are being published on a regular basis and shared across all social media platforms. Much of the news is skewed to the right or left, leaving Americans wanting the truth in a position where they have to watch multiple news sources to get to the bottom of an issue.
I recently spent time watching Fox News and MSNBC cover the news on a very busy news day. There were 2 big stories to cover that day, both of which could easily be covered in a way that was fair to the viewer; a way that didn't skew the facts, omit important information, or redirect viewers to other information in order to avoid covering what didn't fit the narrative of the network so-to-speak.
Had I been a person who just watched one of those two channels and didn't look at multiple news outlets for my news, what I would have received was either a far right or far left version of events, in both cases being presented by channels that were modifying the facts, omitting certain facts, and skewing the stories to fit their viewpoints. That isn't news folks. That is simply wrong.
People consistently say that they know what is right and factual, and to that I call bullshit. Every day I look at my social media accounts, and Facebook is the best example. It takes me no more than a minute to happen by a story someone posted or meme that states some sort of political data that is completely fabricated and false. Yet, people post these stories and pictures and present them as fact, even though they are completely false. Often times when I jump in and show the individual who posted something that it is indeed not true, the response I get isn't, "Thank you. I appreciate that and will take it down." It is usually, "Well, it may not be true but it proves the point I was trying to make." No, it doesn't prove anything except that facts aren't as important as they used to be.
I am going to make this a multiple part blog, as it is beginning to get long. Please provide your comments and let's start a conversation about what I have presented in this blog. Have a great day, and remember, Facts are Important!
Stephen Dunkel
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