Len Robbins: Want the truth? Turn off the TV

Published 8:24 pm Tuesday, October 24, 2017

One thing I’ve learned in nearly 30 years in the newspaper biz is this: There is a logical explanation for nearly everything.

“A bomb went off at the high school. It’s like Columbine all over again!”

A quick perusal of the facts found some kid scrawled a cryptic message on a wall at the high school that was misinterpreted as a threat.

“They’re growing dope down at the police station, and then selling it!”

Upon examination, a marijuana plant was placed on a window sill to keep it alive long enough to admit into evidence.

Every week there’s some wild claim. Every week, a quick phone call delivers a reasonable explanation. When I call back to clarify the misconception to my tipster, the good news is often met with disappointment — as if they wanted to believe something sinister.

Well, what would have occurred if I hadn’t checked out those claims? They would have believed them to be true. I would, too, if that’s all I heard.

Therein lies the problem with what most people consider “media” today. Some people don’t want both sides of a story. They want to hear the side of the story that corresponds with their viewpoint. And some “media” outlets are all too willing to tell them what they want.

It is human nature to tell one side of an issue when you are trying to convince someone of something. It’s not supposed to be that way with legitimate journalism. Yet, more and more, the general populace can’t distinguish between credible media who seek to tell both sides of a story and outlets that disguise and blur their agenda as news delivery. And the propagandists want it that way. They discredit legitimate news organizations (“fake news media”) so you won’t know whom to trust.

For example, many people utilize Rush Limbaugh’s radio program or Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” to receive their national news. These aren’t legitimate news outlets. One is an entertainment program with a clear agenda. The other is a comedy program. You figure out which is which.

Everything they broadcast is skewed by those prisms. They are trying to convince the audience, not inform them.

If you are relying on these types of programs for anything other than entertainment, you are volunteering for ignorance. You are only going to hear or see the evidence or argument that’s compelling to “their side.”

Legitimate journalism tells both sides of an issue, and lets the reader, viewer or listener derive any judgment. Opinion also has a place in journalism — where it is clearly defined as such.

In our country, the only media that still separates news reporting from opinion is our newspapers. Do some newspapers cross that line? Sure. About .5 percent of them. The others have a clear line between what they report on the front page and what they opine about on the editorial page.

Is this a fact? No. It’s my opinion. And in this newspaper, it’s clear that this column is a commentary, and not a news story. That distinction is often invisible on television, on radio, or on social media — on purpose.

I can’t fathom why honest people would want to participate in such dishonesty, but if you want to hear what you want to hear, turn on the TV or radio. They’ll be glad to provide you with the slant you desire, and ignore any reasonable explanations. If you want to actually be informed, pick up a newspaper.

A newspaper may be predominantly black and white, but most of life ain’t.

Len Robbins is the editor of the Clinch County News.