Can You Trust What You See or Read In Today's Mass Media?

I am writing this article off the top of my head, so it won't have all the quotes and footnotes to support my thoughts about how "You can't trust what you read in today's mass media", but I can assure you this article will make you think!

Just this week there was a poll published that claimed by the results that most Democrats in the U.S. read and go by as truth and fact what they learn via the MSM, aka (otherwise known as) the "Main Stream Media" which is the major news networks such as ABC, NBC,CBS and papers such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post to name the major outlet where people get their news and information. I might add here too that all of these outlets are considered to be "liberal" by most of their public audiences.

Republicans seem to get their news from Fox News and conservative newspapers and magazines, none which are so big as to dominate the conservative or moderate media market that they can be readily named.

Now having stated the two sides, which sometimes appears as enemies in the war for influencing the opinions of the U.S. public, (whether it be on The War in Iraq, Terrorism and the Security of our Borders, Illegal Immigration, Abortion, Taxes and even the cause of the rising cost of gasoline) do you believe in what you know at this moment on any of these subjects because you have researched both sides of the issue and then came to you conclusions, belief and opinion on the matter? Or did you just watch your favorite evening news broadcast and broadcaster, and peruse through your preferred newspaper over breakfast or dinner and let the media tell you their version of today's current events.

Did you know that just recently Reuters Wire Service fired a freelance photographer for "doctoring up" a picture he took of the war in south Lebanon? He has been working for them for the last three years and this breach of ethics was just discovered. Do you realize that crucial statements, facts or quotes can be left out of a report or "taken out of context" of a press conference, a public event, an interview and be slanted to appear unrecognizable from what really occurred or was said?

Has it ever crossed your mind as you are reading, watching or hearing any news that you might be getting only one side of the story? Look at the "front page" of your newspaper tomorrow morning and look to see if the "hard news' or the "straight news" as in "just the facts" articles answer only the five Ws of journalism 101 News Reporting, who, what, where, when, and why! Chances are the lead article has the newspaper's editorial opinion written not only in the lead paragraph but throughout the entire article, as will all the other articles on that front page.

The solution? Don't open wide when you're reading or watching the news while you eat your breakfast or drink your morning coffee. Don't eat up all that the Main Stream Media or Mass Media dishes as food for your mind, information for your American heart and soul. Be a little discriminate in accepting what you’re read and hear and see. Do a little research on your own, have a discussion with the other side, check the facts, and then independently make up your own mind.

You can't go down the wrong path like one of the sheep being led to the(political, financial, social) slaughter if you do your own homework gathering your news and making informed decisions based on "just the facts madam" which are more likely to be the truth and reality.