Fake news… We’re hearing all about it. A famous world religious leader recently instructed his followers that it is a sin to spread “fake news”. Is that so? Where was this man over the past few years? The mainstream news media, otherwise known as the “MSM”, while shamelessly promoting its New World Order agenda, has been disseminating fake news for quite some time. Is that a sin? I’d say so.
Let’s put things into perspective. Besides one man’s opinion, what related principle would square with our Judeo-Christian ethics on the matter? “Thou shalt not bear false witness..”? Yes! Another example can also be found in Jewish tradition. According to Leviticus 19:16, one is not to engage in tale bearing. Leviticus 29:17 also warns us against harming one another. With those two Scriptures in mind, individuals who practice Mitzvah avoid committing a particularly serious sin known as “lashon ha ra”. Translated into the English language, lashon ha ra can best be defined as the evil tongue. This sin occurs when someone chooses to speak evil of another. According to traditional interpretations, such a sin is committed even if the disseminated information happens to be true. That being said, due to the grave nature of specific details, a fact that needs to be revealed because its suppression would harm others would be an exception to such a prohibition. Therein lies the rub. Discernment is in order, and perhaps even more importantly, accountability!
Why were so many Hillary supporters surprised, and shocked to the point of tears, upon learning the results from the 2016 Presidential Election? Who is the MSM to lecture us about “Fake News”? The fake news propagated by MSM was harmful during this past election season, and such harmful transgressions seem to be on the increase with each new election cycle. Yes, we are tired of fake news! Wouldn’t it be nice if we turned on the nightly news programs and actually received accurate information about newsworthy world events? Shouldn’t we expect to receive important information without the political spin? Indeed, according to accepted journalistic ethics, the news is to be disseminated in a fair and balanced manner, without prejudice.
The American “MSM”, which blatantly and consistently slanders and defames those who don’t share its political ideology, needs to clean up its own collective act. The various MSM outlets seem to be the only ones disseminating fake news these days, and they obviously need to be discouraged from doing so. Thanks to the advent of the alternative media, the American citizens are finally awakening from their slumber, and have become weary of the propaganda. Most informed Americans don’t believe a word reported by the MSM hacks. Beware also of self-serving politicians who would legislate in favor of violation of the First Amendment as a power grab. The right to freedom of speech is pivotal to a free and open society.
Thankfully, we are witnessing the day of the citizen journalist! If you have ever had a desire to cover the real news, take a journalism class. Start a Blog or Video Blog. Really! You can do it. Now is the time! I know that I’ve mentioned this before, but the American public needs you! Poynter’s News University offers on-line courses. Some are free, and some have a fee, but many of the fees are very reasonable. Your local college may include enough courses to get you started. Coursera also offers journalism classes which can be audited without cost, as well as those classes offered for a fee, in which you can earn a certificate of completion.
As a familiar athletic shoe company advertisement exclaims, “Just Do It!”