It’s sad to me that I feel this way, but I feel like there are very few people I can trust. There are even fewer sources I can trust. Not that long ago, you could pick up a newspaper or magazine, or listen to a news station (television or radio), and believe what you heard or read. That was a time when journalists took the time to check their sources and make sure what they put out to the public was accurate. They had pride in what they put before the public.
I think what happened to change how factual your news sources are was when journalists started putting a political twist on the things they reported. Maybe a lot of the facts were true, but how they got presented became a narrative that got the reader or listener to believe one thing or another about a particular political party or individual.
It didn’t take long before I started reading news reports with a whole lot of skepticism. I started doubting nearly everything I read and wondered how accurate the reporting was. Especially things online. Much of the “news” you read online doesn’t credit a particular author, and you’re left wondering how the reported facts stack up to the truth.
In my opinion, one very telling detail about the accuracy of a news report is the lack of concern over the spelling of words or the lack of proper use of words. I see it all the time, and when I do, I find myself wondering if I can trust much of the information I’m reading. To me, if there’s a lack of concern for accuracy in spelling and use, the author may not care about the content either. While one would think the advances in our computers would help make reporting easier and more accurate, I’m left feeling doubt in nearly everything I read. especially when what is read is riddled with spelling errors and improper use of words.
I know the lack of concern isn’t common to the majority of men and women who call themselves journalists, but you know the saying, “one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.”
****
In our area of Florida, we have a website devoted to giving us a tool to communicate with people near us – sort of like Facebook, but on a much smaller scale. That site is used to warn people about companies that don’t do a good job, as well as to promote the companies that do a good job. The site is used to sell from individual to individual, and warn others when something is afoot.
Just last week, I read a post that warned others about people stealing their credit card information and using that information to make unauthorized purchases. Yes, most, if not all, credit cards offer fraud protection – I’ve had to use the protection on several occasions in the past couple of years, and while it works in your favor, you’ll need a new credit card, AND you have to get in touch with any company you have set up on “auto pay” – which is more and more because it’s very convenient to not have to remember to write out and mail that check every month.
Each time it happened to me, I remember thinking how much I wish the criminals trying to use my information would put the same effort into working at an honest job, then I wouldn’t have to be constantly on the lookout, and inconvenienced by their actions.
I guess it’s the time we live in, having to be aware of the fact that there will always be people looking for an easy way out, and stealing from honest people is their best source.
Too bad it’s so hard to catch them at their trade.
Have A Good Week!
