Column: Readers, press, need to be accountable for news literacy
“And that’s the way it was.” Now, who reading this story remembers who said that?
Obviously, the late great Walter Cronkite would say that every night at the conclusion of his news broadcast. Fifty years ago every American believed that “was the way it was” as reported by mainstream media.
So, what happened over the years to diminish the truth and credibility of those words?
Might I suggest social media has destroyed the integrity of the news?
Walter Cronkite earned the trust of the American public because Walter Cronkite reported truly, “the way it was.” We turned to him and watched him broadcast on live TV the moon landing and major events that happened to our nation.
We liked him, we believed him, we trusted him because we felt like we knew him.
After watching the news back in those days, we were not able to turn to social media and find all the conspiracy stories hidden behind something that called itself “the news.” We would just pick up a copy of the National Enquirer at the check-out line if we wanted to read about aliens and Elvis sightings.
However, we all knew that you really couldn’t believe much of what you read in those types of stories—common sense told us that Elvis Presley wasn’t really circling the moon in a Russian space capsule. But, “the way it was” is now, “this is the way it is.”
So what can we do to counter media misinformation? To be brutally honest, how about we start with common sense. How about we define what “the news” is versus what “opinion pieces” are? What is the truth and what is written and spoken for entertainment purposes?
Remember most people, 30-50 years ago, knew not to believe the stories of Elvis being spotted on Mars.
Integrity in the media does still exists, but in my humble opinion believe that what it boils down to, is truly just knowing where to look to find it. Remember, all TV is based on ratings, and all social media, internet, webpage, etc. is based on clicks or visits. The entire goal of the networks and webpages is to get the most amount of people possible to view or listen to their content, that’s why it really doesn’t matter if it is the truth anymore.
The more people who watch the channel or view the webpage, the more money that can be collected by the owners for paid advertisements.
So what is the solution? Well, I think it is quite simple—and doesn’t take algorithms or supercomputers to figure out.
If I want to know the truth about something you go to the source. If you can’t go to the source you find someone that you believe is reliable, honest, and has nothing to gain or lose by speaking or sharing the truth. There my friends you will find, “That’s the way it was.”
Otherwise, you can linger around with the aliens and “Elvis is alive” followers because I guess that’s just the way it is.
But have faith, because, as Agent Mulder says, “The truth is out there.” You just need to find it.
Dan Ault is the Plover Police Chief and acting administrator for the Village of Plover. He can be reached at 715-345-5250.