Important (and True), Cuz I Said So

I do believe that "truth" exists, depending on what we're talking about. And I do believe some things are more important than others. For example, what I say is important IS important and it is very hard for people to argue with me. And what I say is truth because it is in the newspaper. Dispute that!

I've been involved in a discussion this week that first started as a debate on whom to vote for in the upcoming presidential election, shifted to the "truth" about Iraq, and ended on the topic of whether or not you can trust "the news" and even if the media tells you what is important at all, much less the truth about it. It actually reminds me of an argument I had years ago, with one of the most pig-headed persons I have ever known, over whether or not there exists such a thing as an "unbiased" reporter. The answer to that is No. You can rely on that answer because I editorialized about it in the newspaper, and once printed it is true, unbiased fact. However, it didn't run on the front page, therefore it isn't an important fact so you don't really have to worry about it.

I have worked in the news media for almost all my adult life and part of my youth, and it doesn't matter if I work for The New York Times or The Podunk County News; what I say goes. I tell you what is important by putting it on the front page, under the flag, with a color photo and a 50-pt. headline. I tell you what isn't important by using it as "filler" on the classified page or not at all. And it's true because it's right there, in black and white, with quotes from important and reliable people. They must be, or why would I have quoted them?

The point I'm trying to make is that you can't just count on the media to give you the important stuff in a truthful way. While I believe that most people are mostly good and mostly honest most of the time, if for no other reason than to avoid trouble, what's true and important for them simply may not be for you. And if I'm not so honest, I can write a completely factual article or editorial that is absolutely false and misleading, depending on how I write it. You can use the newspaper and television and internet as sources of information, but eventually you have to rely on your gut. It's the most faithful thing you have, even when it's wrong.