Coming next week: Trolls, Half-Truths, and How Algorithms Give Us the News They Think We Want
So, is anyone still with me after a title like that?!
As a writer and I hope trusted friend, I love sharing encouragement and affirmation along with biblical truth. But as one currently living in a disaster area (who knew a hurricane could spark controversy?), this topic is too vital to ignore.
It’s also nothing new. 2700 years ago, the prophet Isaiah cautioned the nation of Israel about the need for discernment.
“The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life.” Isaiah 8: 11-13 NLT
Before moving to North Carolina, I spent a dozen years specializing in media relations for a major Christian publishing company near Chicago. While I’m certainly no expert, it was highly instructive working closely with both faith-based and secular digital, broadcast, and print media outlets for so many years.
Our team discovered a few fringe media outlets purporting to be “Christian” that were anything but, and we also came to know mainstream journalists who treated our authors’ life stories with integrity and respect. We quickly learned the necessity of vetting media sources.
Since we all want to discern truth from the muck of misinformation online, this week and next I’ll share a few principles that might be helpful.
I bet I’m not the only one who’s wrestled with questions like these:
o My friend/child/co-worker feels so differently about politics than I do. Why can’t s/he see what’s so obvious to me?
o Some people say you can’t trust mainstream media. But what qualifies news outlets to be categorized that way, and what’s behind this claim?
o Conspiracy theories spread so quickly online. How am I to respond to the flood of misinformation?
Here are two lessons I’ve learned. I’ll share several more next week. In the meantime, I hope you’ll add your tips in the Comments section.
1.) Give the side-eye to anyone telling you not to trust "mainstream media."
Media simply refers to any agency of mass communication – ways of reaching multiple people at the same time. That includes your church newsletter and my letter-posts as well as radio and television programs, podcasts, websites, and magazines.
Then of course we have “social media” – easy to use websites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) where anyone can create a profile and post, essentially making millions of people around the world “reporters.”
While there are countless legitimate media outlets online, it’s crucial to remember that fake profiles continue to proliferate, including those created by foreign entities who don't have the best interests of Americans at heart and intentionally sow misinformation to create discord. (How many of you have received friend requests on Facebook from handsome, always-single men in supposedly glamorous professions? Exactly. Scammers on a small scale.)
As our moms taught us back in the day, “Consider the source” when consuming news. If you’re not familiar with a news outlet, take time to research before sharing content with others or acting upon it yourself. If you read claims that major media is underplaying a situation, the only way to verify that is by checking other sources yourself. It’s easy to do if you download free news apps into one folder on your smart-phone. I have 8 I can access in seconds.
As a writer, I can attest that the majority of journalists employed by longstanding media outlets traffic in truth, not lies, because their own jobs are on the line. Biased, maybe. Left or right-leaning? Yes, often. But outright deception destroys a reporter’s credibility, and they don’t last in the profession.
(If you’re wondering how various media outlets line up in terms of a left, centrist or right-leaning bias, you might find this graph helpful. If it’s too small to read, check out the source here.)
If you’re familiar with the history of WWII. you’ll recall that one of the first acts of the Third Reich was to confiscate radios from the populace of occupied counties so the people couldn’t have access to the news. The only information available was Nazi propaganda.
While a free, unfettered press may also breed misinformation, it’s vital that we pay attention to journalists who fact-check political claims and investigate government malfeasance. If Woodward and Bernstein had not been on the job, former president Nixon might have gotten away with Watergate.
2) Listen to the experts.
I know, I know– anyone can claim to be an “expert.” But some people actually are.
Just as we consult board-certified physicians for medical information and licensed attorneys for legal matters, we also need to consider the credentials of those reporting the news.
When misinformation about the Coronavirus pandemic was running rampant, I turned to a niece who holds a Ph. D in Public Health and was leading the charge against the virus in her region.
Just this past week, Mike and I needed to-the-minute information on road closures following the flooding in our area. GPS and Google Maps were no longer reliable, but thankfully the top division engineer for NCDOT is active in our church. Wanda was the authority who gave us the information we needed.
We also deeply appreciated daily newsletters from a Congressman representing our district who responded to rumors and misinformation about the hurricane and FEMA’s response (they are indeed here for us), originating from within his own party. Don’t we all respect politicians who are not afraid to cross party lines to convey accurate information?
Next week we’ll look at trolls (they live behind keyboards, not under bridges), the algorithms that influence what’s shown to us online, and why we need to question motivation when national figures make incendiary statements. Stay with me, please, and let’s help each other!
As promised, this week I’m giving away two copies of the brand-new gift book 52 Prayers of Blessing for Women. These were the final words my best friend Cindy wrote for publication before she passed away last year just five weeks after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
It was Cindy’s deathbed wish that her book be given away to anyone who might need these words of encouragement – her final benediction to the world she so loved.
Winners will be chosen at random on Sunday, October 27. If you’d like to win a copy for yourself or a friend, please include the word “blessing” in your comment.
I love you, friends!
Maggie