Fake News?

I know, I know, our President loves to point out "Fake News" every opportunity he gets. I personally chuckle every time he says it yet also feel uncomfortable for the person receiving the awkward declaration.

I want to point something out. The primary purpose of Fox News Network (Fox News) and Cable News Network (CNN) is not to share news.......their primary purpose is to make money. As such, they spend way more time spinning "news" to their base than providing true journalism.

The next opportunity that you have, watch and note how long it takes for one of the news anchors to ask a guest "how does that make you feel?". Watch how long it takes for them to make a statement and then try to formulate it in to a question. Watch how long it takes for them to interview someone who is promoting a new book. Why do we need to have segments devoted to sharing tweets of what people are saying? This is not news or journalism, it's commentary. And the purpose of that commentary is to make money.

I've noticed this happening over the years but Senator Ben Sasse made it painfully obvious in his book, "Them: Why we hate each other and how to heal". I highly recommend it if you've not had a chance to read it.

The only way that we can have 24 hour news is to create way more commentary than journalism. Be aware of what's happening. Take time to read and watch multiple "news" sources. If you only watch the channels that reinforce your view points, you are only reinforcing your perspective and never growing by learning or appreciating other opinions. Feel confident enough in your intellectual capabilities to actually listen to other views. For what it's worth, I try to balance my time between Fox and CNN.

We face a serious challenge in our news consumption. Whether its your news network of choice or your social media feeds, they are all promoting views that reinforce your disposition.

My recommendation - Learn to listen critically. Learn to listen to counter points of view. Learn to gather your "news" from multiple mediums. It will take some effort to work through the commentary and find real unbiased journalism but we're better off for it if we can.