It’s been said that a man who has one watch always knows what time it is, whereas man that has two watches is never really quite sure. A new poll released by the Pew Research Foundation indicates that when it comes to knowing what is going on, America is like the man with two watches.
Last year, Al Gore made his ridiculous charge that the mainstream media was biased toward the Right. The Right counter-charged that the mainstream media was controlled by the Left. Both sides produced studies and counter-studies. The Left pointed to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and lamented they had nothing comparable. The Right pointed to CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and both sides squabbled over which ideology controlled the biggest media market share.
The Pew Poll reveals the public’s recognition of the increasingly partisan nature of the major media. Only 15 percent of Republicans said they believed “all or most” of the news on CBS. Amazingly, CNN still manages to retain the trust of 26 percent of Republicans, although that is down from 33 percent four years ago.
In contrast, 34 percent of Democrats believe “all or most” of CBS’ spin on the news, and 48 percent thought they were getting the straight goods from CNN.
Fox News’ credibility ratings went up among Republicans to 29 percent, but it dropped among Democrats to 24 percent from its previous 27 percent four years ago.
Partisanship aside, the overall responses were revealing. More than half don’t trust the news (53 percent) and a staggering plurality (42 percent) can’t understand it well enough to know if they do or not.
Journalistic ethics demand facts devoid of spin. In past generations, breaches of journalistic ethics, like deliberately spinning a story to advance an agenda, could end a journalists’ career. Back then, “spin” was called by its proper name: propaganda.
Still, one shouldn’t be so shocked that what is reported as “news” isn’t really the news, but rather an interpretation of the news through the filter of those who report it.
What is shocking is that it isn’t a secret. In all the heat of debate, the Big Picture goes completely unnoticed. By definition, the debate wasn’t over whether or not the news is being spun. That is a given.
Instead, it is over who gets to spin it.
Speaking of the last days, the Apostle Paul writes; “For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.” (2nd Timothy 4:3)
Liberals listen to liberal talk radio because they want to hear liberal propaganda. They prefer certain news broadcasts for the same reasons. Conservatives tune in to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News for the same reasons. They want to hear conservative propaganda.
The fact one can attach a label – whether conservative or liberal – to a news outlet, is the definition of propaganda. Truth doesn’t serve an agenda, left or right. Truth has no agenda.
The world has been conditioned to accept two versions of the same event, like the man with two watches. Sometimes they read the same, sometimes they don’t.
And we can never really be sure which one is right.
