Message to America

We are bombarded with information in our current lives: radio, TV, magazines, newspapers, billboards, cellphone text messages and, of course, the Internet. Due to the proliferation of information, we now have more power than ever over how we choose our news. In today's world, we don't simply receive our news, we actively get to CHOOSE how and what we receive.

In order to help ensure that my news is properly "vetted", I've developed my own rules:

Rule #1: Seeing is not believing.
Stories reported on TV or in the written news aren't always reported accurately or fully. Often, important details or opposing viewpoints are withheld from a story. Therefore, cultivate a healthy sense of skepticism and use what you see or read only as a starting point. Then, investigate the facts for yourself. This requires a slight time investment on your part, but don't be overwhelmed: you don't need to devote all day to learning about the Arab/Israeli conflict. Take just fifteen minutes a day to do some research on one story. Over time, this will make a huge difference.

Rule #2: Prove your news.
If you can't find at least two other reputable news outlets that corroborate a news story, don't trust it. While someone is always first to break a big story, once the word's out, other media outlets work feverishly to report that same news as well. Make sure you've got a few nationally recognized sources for your big stories or multiple local sources for those things happening in your community. It's not worth your time to believe in news that can't be proven.

Rule #3: Cast a wide net.
Cultivate a news "menu" by assembling a diverse group of sources during the week. Choose news from liberal, moderate and conservative viewpoints as well as from domestic and international perspectives. If you're going to educate yourself, there's no sense in limiting yourself: the more diverse your source materials are, the more understanding you will become of the actual news story, the context of how it is reported and what it means to different people on the other side of the city...or the world.

Rule #4: Everything biased in some way.
This rule applies to all of us, conservative or liberal, Jew or Catholic, Black or White, newspapers or blogs or TV. Everything you read is biased by those who created the content... even this blog posting. I have a liberal bias but I also am biased towards educating others and motivating folks to be proactive about how they choose and determine what is their news.

Rule #5: Turn off the TV.
TV news is a dead medium: there's no interactivity for the individual and the medium relies on sensationalism to generate ratings. As such, there's no need to watch TV to get your news. Literally: no need. You can listen to the radio, you can read a newspaper or magazine and you can surf the web to learn the very same stories with a much less sensational delivery. Stop watching TV news for just one month: you'll discover how little you're missing and how easily you forget what Katie Couric, Charles Gibson, Brian Williams and Wolf Blitzer all look like.

Lastly, here's a bonus rule, only slightly off-topic, which I love.

Rule #6: Start talking.
Now that you've got some education under your belt, don't be afraid to talk to your friends, neighbors and family about the news. When you do, you will quickly discover that many people are only getting only part of the story, either by ignorance or by willful intention. By educating yourself and talking not just about the news but the sources you use, you will help to broaden the discussion and place yourself in a position to help educate others.

Go get 'em, Tiger....

Labels: news