There was a time when the media deserved our trust. We believed that they carefully researched things to find facts that led to the truth. When you turned on the news or opened a paper, you trusted that you were going to get the truth, backed up by facts. There was no need to question the accuracy of what was reported because the media had proven time and time again that what they reported was the truth.
But, sadly, that’s not where we are today.
It seems like more and more often the media will print rumors and innuendos without any facts whatsoever to back them up. All in the interest of generating clicks.
A phrase I particularly have a problem with is “anonymous sources said”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m OK with anonymous sources, some people have good reason to be afraid of speaking out publicly. But, unless there are facts to back up something someone said, it’s really just an unverified rumor.
Anonymous sources can be useful. They can point an investigator/journalist in the right direction to find the facts to back up the claim. And, the journalist can use those facts to find the truth. But, to anyone seeking the truth, simply quoting an anonymous source is useless.
When the media quotes an anonymous source, I’m supposed to trust them. I’m supposed to trust that their source is reliable and that what the source said has been verified. I’m supposed to believe that there are facts to back up the claim being made.
But, the media has lost my trust. So, I need to do my own research to verify what I’m being told is the truth.
Here’s the problem. When an anonymous source is quoted, I don’t have any indication of the trustworthiness of the person making the claim. I don’t know anything about the source’s background, experience, motives or if the person is qualified to have an opinion on the subject.
So, while I might wish that what the anonymous source was quoted as saying is true, I have to completely disregard what they say because I have no way of knowing if it actually is true. Without facts to back up their claim, I have to assume that what they’re claiming is false. And so should everyone else.
The media are squandering our 1st amendment right to a free press by giving us information that is oftentimes inaccurate, misleading and manipulative. It’s time we start holding them to a higher standard and demand that they give us information backed up by facts and not merely gossip, rumors and speculation.
