The Mainstream Media Doesn’t Deserve You

      What is the duty of the press? The press exists to inform. What is the freedom of the press? Members of the press are free to report whatever they feel is worthy of reporting. What is the responsibility of the press? The press has a responsibility to report well-researched and factual information to the public.

      But, alas, today we live in an age where facts are not valued nearly as much as opinions. It can be appropriate for the press to express opinions from time to time, but they should be labeled as such. It is when reporters feel the liberty to express opinions as fact that they lose their journalistic integrity.

     As a preacher, I try never to preach my opinion. I attempt at all times to simply offer my interpretation of the text. If I do offer my opinion behind the pulpit, I let my audience know that is what I am doing, so that they do not become confused about what is biblically factual and what is simply my opinion. Why? Because I have a responsibility to help people understand the truth.

     Much the same, journalists ought to respect the truth and the people who give them their attention enough to separate their facts and opinions. When a reporter gives anything more or less than the truth, they discredit the freedom they enjoy that was fought for by their predecessors. 

     Let us understand that the freedom of the press has not always existed and still does not exist in many places. It was placed in our Bill of Rights so that we could enjoy a free flow of information which undergirds our other freedoms. The United States of America exists today because our founding fathers knew that the only way people could ever truly be free was if they governed themselves.

     I see so much partisanism in the media today that I automatically check facts via other publications. What I usually find is that some important fact has been conveniently misplaced or that some minor fact has been inflated. I no longer trust any singular news source to be bipartisan. Every major media platform has shown their true colors in recent years.

     All of this partial reporting amounts to a gross misuse of power by the mainstream media. Yet, despite this open deception, people still believe whatever the talking heads tell them as long as it sounds right. Let me remind you that you absolutely do not have to listen to the mainstream media.

     Do some fact-checking. Form your own opinions. When you see a headline that grabs your attention, read the article and research the topic to make sure you aren’t being fed a spoonful of garbage.

     Very few people are interested in telling you the truth. Most are interested in making money and controlling the narrative. Do not give them your approval. They do not deserve your loyalty. Give yourself the respect you have given them all along.