Statistical results of opinion polls vary, but they all indicate that the public's trust in news media is at an all time low. And its not just President Trump that's concerned about “fake news.” The public has serious reservations about whether the news reports they read are factual or simply “made-up.” Fake news, in one form or another, has been around for so long that almost half of the public thinks it has learned how to determine if news is reliable. The reliability of the report is largely based on the reliability of the agency doing the reporting. News reports that have to be retracted and apologized for have become common.
The public didn't lose its respect for news media overnight. Its taken several years and developed in stages. Decades ago, when television was in its infancy, news reports may have been slanted but there were a variety of opinions being expressed. But as television viewing became more prominent, the three major networks – ABC, NBC, and CBS, became so firmly established that they told the public what to think. These self-anointed experts thought they were better qualified than the public to decide what kind of society was needed. So, based on the philosophy “the end justifies the means”, networks stopped presenting the other side of the story.
Advocacy journalism took over, and the public was pretty much taken in by it. Actually, by this time, the public had almost surrendered itself to electronic media. Not only did the viewing public succumb to TV sit coms, but it got its history, news, and opinions from television. The majority was so intimidated by the awesomeness of electronic media that it cravenly accepted whatever was presented without question. But many Americans soon began to realize that electronic news media was a crucial cog in the Liberal political machine, and they began to lose respect for national media.
News media conglomerates reacted by accusing those who disagreed with Liberal opinions as having mental problems. A multitude of media-created mental afflictions sprang up almost overnight – racism, sexism, homophobia, chauvinism, xenophobia, and so on. At first, many were taken in by these phony mental disorders but common sense gradually prevailed over brainwashing. Resentment of these spurious accusations increased the public's disrespect for news media although ratings overall weren't seriously affected.
The news networks stubbornly believed they were invincible, and could manipulate public opinion. But the seismic shock of Donald Trump's defeat of Hillary Clinton thrust them into an abysmal state of disbelief from which they have yet to recover. They felt sure their scathing coverage of Trump's campaign had so discredited him that he couldn't be elected. And they seem to believe, even at this late date, that they have the power to overturn the election results, or at least force President Trump's removal from office.
Shamelessly, Liberal news outlets no longer even pretend to present real news. They frantically report whatever they think will disparage the President without regard to its veracity, and they don't seem to care if their deviousness is discovered. No sooner is one false report retracted than another even more egregious false report is issued. Incredibly, we are now learning about networks faking their ratings!
The USA is currently experiencing an era of national division even worse than the Civil War period. This time its not the North versus the South. The division in our age can be described as the values of Middle America versus the values of the East and West Coasts; e.g. common folk versus elites. There is also an emerging conflict between responsible citizens and wards of the State. Being perceived as a victim has become so lucrative that we are experiencing a rash of fake hate crimes. Fake news reporting is encouraging more fake claims of hate crimes. With the assistance of one-sided media coverage, the Victimology industry is flourishing and getting out of control.
During the Civil War, President Lincoln shut down several newspapers that opposed his policies. It might be too unsettling for President Trump to close down cable news networks, although many of us would welcome it. The American public deserves trustworthy news agencies with integrity. The Fourth Estate has long been an essential part of our society. But networks are reluctant to change - power takes precedence over principle. News anchors have long thought they are as important as our Commander in Chief, and altering their lofty status won't be easy. However, a massive outpouring of citizens engaged in unflinching boycotts of sponsors of biased news outlets ought to do the job.
A Black Lives Matter protest or a campaign to tear down Confederate Monuments would have the solid backing of all news networks. But they would not back an attack on a sister network regardless of its merit. In fact, we should expect networks to unite and use their influence to discredit such a boycott. Even though a media backlash might occur, the proliferation of fake news and fake hate crimes cannot be ignored much longer.
Gail Jarvis is a Coastal Georgia based freelance writer. Following a career as a CPA/business consultant, Mr. Jarvis now critiques the establishment’s selective and misleading reporting of current events and history. Gail can be reached at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
