“My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with facts”
I appreciated the thought-provoking TGI editorial on June 26th regarding the Media Insight Project surveys of public perceptions about “the media” compared with journalists’ survey responses. Wow — two churches preaching to their congregations to not trust the media — reminds me of cult propaganda. I cannot begin to imagine Pope Francis or the late Billy Graham issuing such an edict.
This grabbed my attention: “Only a little more than half of the people said the press should act as a watchdog to powerful people and institutions, while 93 percent of journalists view this as their role.” Aside from reporting on scientific and cultural updates, I absolutely expect my news sources to pursue factual information on the proceedings in government, economy, society, and yes — institutions and powerful people, both in government and outside. I want to know what public resources are being looted — land grabs by corporations, bailouts that profit banksters and not homeowners — while we’re diverted by the outrage of the day.
Often the wealthy one-percenters seem to advocate for influence in government for their own best interests, and not necessarily for the greater good for We The People. The Citizens United decision in 2010 has resulted in almost unlimited political donation amounts, shielding donor information via PACs and corporations — corporations which were granted personhood rights under Citizens United. My life expectancy is actuarially around eighty years. What should be the life expectancy of a corporation?
Yes, we’re a nation of laws, and it’s unfair to the citizenry that corporations and the uber-wealthy are able to purchase new laws and influence through donations and lobbying while families of the 99-percenters are working three to five jobs to try to stay above water.
Our governments — local, state, federal — are comprised of humans who are civil SERVANTS. If their regulations, policies and actions are not totally transparent, we need to know why, and hold them accountable — they work for US!
I’ve been heartened lately by more articles about debunking misinformation and disinformation, and if this opinion piece of mine is published, I can comment online with the URLs of sources. Leonardo da Vinci said “the greatest deception men suffer is their own opinions.” Others have observed “you’re entitled to your own opinions, but you’re not entitled to your own facts.”
The Debunking Handbook, available as a free download, premises that to be effective: “First, the refutation must focus on core facts rather than the myth to avoid the misinformation becoming more familiar. Second, any mention of a myth should be preceded by explicit warnings to notify the reader that the upcoming information is false. Finally, the refutation should include an alternative explanation that accounts for important qualities in the original misinformation.”
CNN’s Brooke Baldwin used that technique in her three-minute report calling out President Donald Trump’s assertions during his exchange with the media a couple weeks ago on the White House lawn.
Amrita Khalid wrote in an article regarding fact-checking that “Reagan used to say, ‘Trust, but verify.’ I’d say verify first, and then determine if the source is worthy of your trust.” She continues with what she considers to be six of the best NON-partisan fact-checking sites online:
1- Politifact.com, rating claims from “True” to “Pants on Fire”
2- FactCheck.org with the “stated goal is to ‘apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding’.” They review “the year’s most egregious false claims in an annual ‘Whoppers of the Year’ story.” They also feature a “Viral Spiral” link to evaluate online rumors.
3- The Washington Post’s Fact Checker site “assesses claims made by politicians or political advocacy groups and gives out Pinocchios based on its level of accuracy.”
4- OpenSecrets.org “tracks money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy” and “the money that the private sector, industry groups, unions, and other lobbyists spend to lobby Congress.”
5- SunlightFoundation.com “is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses the tools of civic tech, open data, policy analysis and journalism to make our government and politics more accountable and transparent to all.” They also feature the Web Integrity Project whose “mission is to monitor changes to government websites, holding our government accountable by revealing shifts in public information and access to Web resources, as well as changes in stated policies and priorities.”
6- Snopes.com has been “the go-to destination for debunking strange internet rumors” since founded in 1995.
Ms Khalid lists “the best partisan fact-checking sites” as
1- MediaMatters.org analyzes “conservative media, including broadcast, radio, and print media for factual errors.”
2- NewsBusters.org “is a website that devotes itself to ‘combating liberal media bias’.”
ReportersLab.org has an interactive map of 149 fact-checking sites around the world.
US Sen. John McCain wrote an article in January titled “Mr. President, stop attacking the press.” He elaborated on the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, created by Pres Reagan after he left office, to recognize individuals who have fought to spread liberty worldwide. “Reagan recognized that as leader of the free world, his words carried enormous weight, and he used them to inspire the unprecedented spread of democracy around the world.” Our current president attempts to “discredit the free press by bestowing ‘fake news awards’ upon reporters and news outlets whose coverage he disagrees with. Whether Trump knows it or not, these efforts are being closely watched by foreign leaders who are already using his words as cover as they silence and shutter one of the key pillars of democracy.”
George Lakoff wrote an article also this past January, stating “Like some foreign dictator, the Republican in the White House will launch a planned attack on the free press today. But he’s been in an ongoing campaign against the truth since Day One.
“It’s alarming because presidents don’t act this way. Dictators do. And there’s evidence to suggest that the Republican president’s constant attacks on the news media have encouraged dictators in other countries to continue their repression of journalists.”
Though he now claims his remarks were jokes, two days before Thursday’s mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom, Milo Yiannopoulos, former senior editor at alt-Right Breitbart News, had told an Observer journalist “I can’t wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight.” On Saturday the 23rd, when asked about his decision to join the U.K. Independence Party, Yiannopoulos wrote in an email that he “can’t wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight!”
People know the truth when they hear it. That’s why we say it has a ring to it. The truth may be hard to swallow. But it’s important to find.
•••
Susan Oakley is a resident of Kapaa.
Here are the links to online sources:
The Debunking Handbook – free download
https://skepticalscience.com/docs/Debunking_Handbook.pdf
Brooke Baldwin’s piece on CNN
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/06/15/trump-fox-intv-baldwin-call-out-nr.cnn
Amrita Khalid’s lists of fact-checking sites
https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/best-fact-checking-websites/
ReportersLab.org’s interactive map of 149 fact-checking sites around the world.
https://reporterslab.org/fact-checking/
US Senator John McCain’s January article imploring the president to stop attacking the press
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mr-president-stop-attacking-the-press/2018/01/16/9438c0ac-faf0-11e7-a46b-a3614530bd87_story.html?utm_term=.809deeace75e
George Lakoff’s January article on dictators attacking journalists
https://georgelakoff.com/blog/
Milo Yiannopoulos remarks on Saturday, June 23, 2018
https://www.thedailybeast.com/far-right-youtube-stars-plan-takeover-of-ukip
-on Tuesday, June 26
http://observer.com/2018/06/milo-yiannopoulos-encourages-vigilantes-start-gunning-journalists-down/
-on Thursday, June 28
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/28/milo-yiannopoulos-confirms-his-gunning-down-journalists-comments/743561002/
Susan, unfortunately you’re drinking the wrong Cool Aide. Our Country and it’s values have been under attack for the past 10 years like never before in it’s History since the Civil War. The values and integrity that built America are being cleverly relegated to the “old” way of doing things. Of course we all want the truth, your problem is that you can’t recognize it because you obviously don’t have the resources, including the common sense, to recognize war when you see it. Perhaps you should go back just 5 years and remember random Police killings for sport, “fry ’em like bacon”, everyone marching against everyone, everyone with an agenda hating everyone else with an agenda, the news media talking about nothing more than chaos perpetrated by our Progressive Socialist minority under the worst President in our lifetimes. You, the media, and sniveling, whining, fringe groups declared war. Thank God we elected the best, most qualified, and most patriotic War time President the vast majority of our States wanted, and now we’re so thankful for having done so! Susan, you will recognize the truth when you grow up.
If someone’s worst president is the worst president a racist could possibly have and his best president is the best president a racist could possibly have; what conclusion can we reach?
If unions both non-governmental and governmental can pay for political ads, so should corporations. Don’t be a hypocrite, Susan Oakley.
Aloha Manawai ..
True – the 2010 Citizens United declared that corporations (and, by extension, labor unions) have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited money on elections. Unions’ income is derived from member dues – very different from secretive Super-PAC funding. Prior to the Citizens United decision, individuals’ contributions to PACs were limited to $5,000 per year. Between 2010 and 2014, 195 donors and their spouses funded 60 percent of the $1 billion in Super-PAC spending. https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/publications/Five_to_Four_Final.pdf
One class in this country derives concentrated power from its concentrated wealth – the one-percenters. The other class has power only in numbers. That power is effective only to the extent that it can be mobilized through organization.
http://LCurve.org/
Truth and Integrity is not found in any of the kauai “forums”. The water commish meeting regarding Waialeale Blue Hole new 65-year lease read like the whose who of the u.s. corporate CEO world, land “owner” maneuvers in the kauaian ruse, 125-years in the making! Before me, my usaf intelligence officer dad was brought to Hawaii in 1959 to sit at “top secret” negotiating tables, Hickham AFB. Dad followed the orders given to him, complicit with all the other top to bottom militaropolitical agents who turned the tables on the Kingdom Nation, illegally occupying and overtaking these lands, hook, line, and sinker. Because Kauai is still capable of setting the precident where “aloha will save the world”, it is absolutely important that we zero out the voting percentages, as in boycott the fake corporate overtake, as they did with the overthrow! Waikiki Beach Boys ousted is another prime example of the racketeering of the corporate mindset. I would NEVER lie or lead you astray, but there are a LOT of others in current seating arrangements, who will straight face Lie, like in what Allan White letter to the editor mentions. Without naming names, know who is the “peoples mayor” and know who you are. Corporate or Warrior are the ONLY two choices. The year of the Hawaiian, Huli the system.
Let’s test this claim: “I’ll never lie to you,” shall we? Debra, are you hawaiian?
Just saying, I am a HAWAI’IAN by Nationality, you? Do you even understand who and where you are?
The question was for Debra Da Pretendra, not you; try learn read!
Mahalo Ms. Oakley for a very informative article, lots to think about here. And don’t let the trolls get to you, they seem to live in a very dark place under a bridge called the “comment” section, but it’s not clear if they ever venture out into the sunshine and beauty of this “real” world we call Kaua’i.