The News is Untrustworthy, Trust Me
Sarah Cohen
February 26, 2010
Filed under Opinions and Views
If you own a T.V., a radio, a computer, or even a newspaper (those still exist by the way) then you have, at one point or another, encountered news. The media keeps us informed; it tells us what is going on in the world around us. Many students will remember watching the Twin Towers fall on September 11, 2001 or watching as hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. All of us receive some sort of news. But have you ever thought that some of the news you are reading may not be the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Probably not, why should you? You are watching FOX or CNN, they have to be dependable! Right?
Honestly most people listen to the news and do not think to question it’s reliability. As Senior Jessica Mentrup says “I don’t think to question the news because it’s from Associated Press.” This practice is dangerous. If a person is only receiving their news from one source without questioning its validity they are in a sense being brainwashed.
Junior Kyle Kelley remarks that “all news systems have their own political biases.”
For news providers such as NPR and CNN it is to get news recipients to see issues in a more liberal light. News providers such as FOX News will try to persuade people to think in a more conservative manner. So what does that mean? It means that they are more willing to bend the truth to get their political point across, and that means that the news you get may not be completely correct.
Like Jessica Mentrup, most students would admit to thinking that whatever they read is the truth. But it is not their fault. We have been taught that the news is of the highest trustworthiness, but it is time to start changing. Today and Tomorrow’s generation are facing a time, now more than ever, in which news is being thrown at them from left and right. Questioning needs to take the place of blindly following.
Is this to say that all news is a lie? Absolutely not. The media is essential in keeping people aware of the what is going on in the world. Without the news, many things would be impossible such as warning people of upcoming inclement weather, showing live coverage of events of national importance, and warnings about other dangers.
The way to balance out the political bending is to check with several other news sources of different political persuasions. As Kyle Kelley says “it’s important to check multiple sources and to realize that what they (the news) is saying may not be true.”
