By
Ylldes Mustafa
“If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out,” is an old phrase upheld by many journalists. Since the beginning of my freshman year, I have been reminded again and again about the importance of this phrase. For those that may not be familiar with this saying, it means to fact check everything—even if it’s something as simple as your mother telling you that she loves you. In a world filled with facts, fiction and “alternative facts,” it is important to be skeptical and an avid seeker of the truth.
As a journalist, it is my duty to find and report the facts when working on a story. Leaving out any bias I may have on any particular issue is what my audience deserves from me, but what happens when my audience does not believe the facts presented? What happens when the viewer doubts me and decides that their beliefs are what’s true and what I have just reported is “fake news?”
There are a plethora of issues surrounding this idea of “fake news” today. Though it may be a viable argument to say that articles written by specific websites and other news media outlets may not be entirely credible, it is not viable to argue that something is “fake news” just because it does not fit one’s belief, or opinion. There seems to be this preconceived notion that because a person does not like or disagrees with a specific statement that it is a lie. “The media lies to us,” is something we hear time and time again. While there have been instances where a story was deemed untrue, it does not justify the slander of the press and journalists as a whole.
To confront this issue and seek the truth, “fact-checking” has become a very popular trend since the 2016 presidential election. News publications and other news organizations such as The New York Times and The Washington Post have published numerous articles confirming or correcting what candidates have stated as “fact.” Correcting statistics seemed to be, and still is, something that journalists strive to provide for readers, viewers and listeners, but what’s right isn’t always welcomed.
What causes people to deem fact(s) as fiction? After all, a difference of opinion does not take away from a fact being a fact. Many will turn to the President of the United States of America when arguing this claim. Because there is someone in a high position of power and authority, many feel as though his or her words are spoken truths and those who oppose these “spoken truths” are the bearers of “fake news.” This is referred to by social scientists as a “confirmation bias.” Through confirmation bias, people tend to interpret news and facts in a way that fits their feelings.
In an interview with Kellyanne Conway, the Counselor to the President of the United States, Chuck Todd, NBC’s Meet the Press’ moderator, asks Conway about “falsehoods” President Trump specifically asked then press secretary, Sean Spicer, to say in a White House press briefing. Conway states that these are simply “alternative facts” and Todd fires back by stating that, “Alternative facts are not facts. They’re falsehoods.” This phrase gained traction and has since then been used to discredit truthful information.
If we take Conway and look at her comments about President Trump’s inauguration crowd size and the “alternative facts,” it is obvious that these comments were made to discredit the media and their reports about the inauguration and to give credibility to the administration’s story on the event. This type of language is devised to make lies sound like facts and discredit any opposition, which in this situation is the press.
Journalists and those involved in the current news media have the responsibility to publish factual, and only factual, information free from bias. It should be the responsibility of the viewer, reader or listener to understand, or learn how to spot, when this information is true or untrue. With all things considered, reporters have a duty to present truths as they are, free from bias and citizens are responsible for what they believe and how they perceive these beliefs. It is essential that we are skeptical of the stories we hear and sources we hear from, but also skeptical of these alternative facts that veer us from the truth. It is important to doubt, and always remember: “If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out.”
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