Is it just me, or do a good many people have little to no information past what’s echoed in the press, where current events are concerned?
I’m also wondering, does it seem like a whole bunch of people have an exceptionally limited knowledge of history to you?
I can see a reality, but I’m not sure what to do with what I perceive.
It seems to me, like most folks feel as though they have neither the time, nor the energy to do their own research—to actually dig into what’s going on around them.
If, for example I ask people simple statistical questions about COVID-19, most have zero idea the answers. So pervasive is this reality, that most residents of my state have no earthly idea what either the total death toll attributed to COVID-19, or the rough population of their state might be.
The immediate thought would be, that these folks should be able to switch on the news, and get the information they seem to so totally lack. The problem? A review of most organizations purporting to be involved in the dissemination of news, indicates they aren’t reporting information like that I just pointed up as lacking in the minds of potential consumers.
How many news entities—even ones local to my state—have told folks that the total number of deaths since the 1st of February, 2020 is still below one thousand in my state?
How many of those same dispersal points have put out the fact that the state’s population is greater than three million people?
This is but one example. There are certainly many more.
The mainstream press is undoubtedly well aware that historic peace negotiations are occurring around the world—most notably, in of all places the Middle East.
The events in play are literally unprecedented. How many people are aware that a good many Middle Eastern Arab states are honestly discussing signing on to a recently penned peace agreement, between Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates and, get this, Israel?
Things like this do a great job of making those who are aware, have little to no faith in the standard reporting venues—and can you blame them?
The fact is, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
By way of an example, how many are aware—even with the current requirements in place—jobless numbers in the U. S. have been consistently falling for weeks?
Were you apprised that a judge struck down various strictures made in relation to COVID-19 to do with sheltering in place and other such mandates? No? Why not?
The fact is, these things are not known by many, because the media is choosing not to report them.
Let’s say for just a second, that Joe Biden’s mental state is a-okay. You still have to ask the question why so many media outlets are failing to agree with the criticism that says Mr Biden has been in one political office or another for literally the last forty-seven years, yet nothing seems to have gotten better under his watch. Even if they don’t agree with it, they also appear to be unwilling to report it as a question. They won’t do so even to answer the charge.
Then there’s the other side of the same coin. The most active Facebook pages are almost all owned by pundits on the Conservative side of things. Why is that?
People like Ben Shapiro, and Dan Bongino are largely “winning the ratings war” in a whole new market.
Yet by and large, seeing these folks on prime time media productions by well known outlets is rare, if it happens at all. And if you see them there, they go largely unchallenged in what they say.
It would be one thing if exposing them made it so people could see they appeared unhinged or uninformed. That’s not what’s happening. They come on some show, and given the chance to talk, they dominate the conversation and largely shut down anyone who tries to take them on. And that’s not done by rudeness, but the statement of facts and truths.
Is that why they’re not generally welcome? You decide.
Do the folks talking on the right refuse to have people from the left on their “broadcasts?” The answer is largely, “No.”
Though people like Mark Levin have consistently offered Liberals and Progressives a spot on their various productions, they rarely ever seem to be willing to take them up on the invitation. Why is that?
I’ve never known any of these rightist media types to be rude or even impolite to guests. That said, I have every expectation if you find yourself sitting across from them, you’d better be prepared for the hard questions.
That’s a solid contrast to what the mainstream typically does with people on the Left. People on the Right are typically asked, “When did you stop beating your mother?” types of questions. That’s not at all the case for people with a leftward tilt.
Who’s bothered to ask Joe Biden about the copious pictures, with him sniffing young ladies’ hair or touching them in largely inappropriate ways?
Yet you’ll see commentary on Donald Trump supposedly (and maybe actually) acting inappropriately with him having zero recourse to explain his actions or to refute allegations on the places that make them.
I think by now, everybody’s fully aware that Mr Trump speaks out when others would advise him to maintain silence. The funny thing is, because he does that, the various attacks (and from the larger part of the press, that’s the only attention he gets) often tend to slide right off him.
Imagine accusing a man of doing something he already told you he did and why. This is the kind of thing people regularly do to Donald Trump. And all the while, watching as the unconventional non-politician gets things done.
In the end, it’s no surprise the media likely polls below ambulance chasers in reliability, accuracy and lack of bias. The common man may not be up on all that’s happening out there, but he or she is not the uncultured, ignorant buffoon the “regular” press assumes. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time for prime time media to start doing something closer to unbiased reporting. They may never get there (I don’t think they’ve done it before—not even in the “good old days”), but it surely wouldn’t hurt to try.
Thanks for reading, and may your time be good.