Barrett Garese

It’s been known since 12/28 that Umar Abdulmutallab had a round trip ticket and not a one-way fare.

So why have the AP, WSJ, WaPo, CNN, Fox, Time, Newsweek, New York Times (at least they ran a correction), Boston Globe, Gannett, PIttsburgh Tribune Review, Sacramento Bee, Globe and Mail, Washington Times and Congressional Quarterly all said differently? And when will they stop?

(via TPMMuckraker)

“News” is not immune to the power of memes either. “News” isn’t really news anymore - a common complaint, and not one that I’m unique in offering - it’s entertainment. There’s a certain small amount of investigative journalism going on in this country, but more than anything else it’s just repetition of the prevalent opinions.

I don’t want to go into whether the “corporate” structure of news media is affecting this, or whether or not the myth of the “liberal media” has anything to do with it (news flash: an individual media outlet is only as liberal as the multinational corporate conglomerate that owns it) but I think it’s clear that the biggest myth of all is that of the lone crusading journalist; the hardworking mix of gumshoe and writer, independently pursuing hard leads and the merest wisps of information alike in an effort to reveal an unbiased account of “the truth.” Or perhaps the myth isn’t of that person’s existence, but of whether or not we’d listen to them if they did.

NYT during the run up to Iraq, Fox News at all times, the rise of “opinion personalities” as news sources, the evidence is around us all the time. “Just the facts, ma’am” feels quaint because it is - it’s a sign of a time long since passed. More and more, facts hold no sway with people unless they confirm an already-held belief.

We have the greatest and most complete repository of human knowledge that our civilization has ever known, and in a perfect world it would allow “the truth” to be self-evident most of the time - or at least allow us to become better at researching as opposed to just blindly accepting information from The Powers That Be. What it’s actually done is reinforce human nature’s inherent ability to mentally distort facts to support an already believed perception and granted “facts” the same sort of wiggle room as “opinion.”

In an age where we should be smarter and better informed than any generation in history, little things like “the age of the earth,” “is there a scientific consensus on global warming,” and “whether or not the President is a citizen” are somehow in dispute. Facts hold no sway anymore, because this entertainmentization (not a real word…until now) of what used to be strictly informational necessitates an opposing side for all issues - even when the issue itself does not require or warrant it.

Fact: The Earth is not 6,000 years old, but closer to 4.6 billion years old. If your book says differently then your book is wrong.

Fact: There is a scientific consensus on man-made global warming - to the tune of 97% - if your news anchor says differently then they are wrong.

Fact: The President was born in Hawaii. His birth certificate is on the internet and there are news articles from the time period announcing his birth. If your “opinion journalist” says differently then they are wrong.

If you dispute any of the above, please provide evidence, not opinion, and they will be reevaluated. Your opinion on the matter is unimportant. Your “emotions” on the issue are not only unimportant but have no place in any discussion of science or fact. Your “beliefs” should resonate with - and have backing from - factual, demonstrable bases.

Facts should be able to stand on their own merits against all surrounding attacks, but whether this assault on reason is premeditated in an effort to discredit the very foundations of the concept of truth, or whether it’s a result of the idea that all opinions are created equal (they’re not) is unimportant. The result is what’s important, and the simple and indisputable truth is that logic, reason, and science hold less sway on the overall American population than they used to.

At one point, my country was founded with the words “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”

Do we still?

Source: ericmortensen