Media Bias and Knowledge – The Truth is Out There

~ Amusives

There are things I know I know.
And things I think I know – but don’t.
Things I know I don’t know.
And things I don’t know that I don’t know.
The Truth, for me, is a moving target!

I think it is safe to say that my blogging days would have ended several years ago if I had stuck to writing about things ‘I know I know’! ‘Shopping’ for things I don’t know is why it takes me so long to write a blog post. I look for facts and arguments, then test them to see if they are congruent, consistent, coherent, and useful truths.

Mark Twain once said that “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Thanks to the internet, this observation is more applicable now than it has ever been.

Traditional news media has been supplemented with a vast array of online media sources and opinion journalism. The pressure to produce reactions and opinions at a greater and greater speed has resulted in a ‘media bias’ that attracts and holds a ‘true believer’ audience. This doesn’t always mean they are ‘impartial’, ‘well-balanced’ and ‘truthful’ reports.

I think this is why the role of the blogger is important. Often bloggers are the ones who descend upon media misinformation and set the story straight! They are part of the New Age of Journalism that is thriving online.

While I play a very small and almost invisible role as a Blogger Journalist, I was reminded of the importance of that role and my search for truth when one of my posts was referred to on a Gratefulness Forum. The members were discussing beauty in nature, and someone eventually posted a photo of a Canada Goose in a tree. One of the forum members researched whether this was something Canada Geese did very often, and found my post called A Lofty View. I know that Geese do this!

One little Truth at a time – this is how the bloggers of the world are making a difference.

As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know.
– Donald Rumsfeld, while serving as George W. Bush’s Secretary of Defense

Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a man can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of rules and set tasks.
– G.K. Chesterton –


What ‘Truth Crusade’ is near and dear to your heart?
What have you contributed to the accumulated knowledge of a particular subject?

11 thoughts on “Media Bias and Knowledge – The Truth is Out There”

  1. I first saw Canadian Geese fly from the ground and onto a branch of a tree while out golfing. As it happens, I had my camera with me and snapped a photo.

    As for truth and blogging . . . unfortunately, there’s also a huge morass of useless and erroneous information out there, strewn in the field of millions of blogs. As always, one is still stuck doing one’s research. I would not have it any other way.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. There – another goose in tree sighting! This is the great thing about the internet – people post photos (with good file names and alternate text info) and google finds them!

      Like

  2. My most popular post is (by far!) “Six Things About Sand”. It seems a LOT of people want to know more about sand, its properties, and uses. The idea for the post actually came from a workshop writing challenge and I get at least two or more hits on it every single day. I like to think that even if people don’t learn something from my posts, I’ve at least given them something to think about.

    Like

    1. Thanks for the link to your sand post. Excellent information! I immediately thought of your sand story when I emptied out some sand from under the insole of my shoe. It came from our recent trip to Mexico, and I smiled to think that this sand followed me back to Arizona.
      Like you, I have a story that gets several hits every day. It is my research on induction pots.

      Like

  3. ahhh, Mark Twain’s quote “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything” will always be a favourite 🙂

    Like

  4. As soon as I started reading, I thought of Rumsfeld and his “known unknowns”. And as for Mr Chesterton… All very well for him to say. He wouldn’t have been the one scrubbing the toilets every week and cleaning up the kitchen every day.
    My Truth Crusade is The Appropriate Use Of An Apostrophe.

    Like

  5. One thing I know for certain. The more I learn the more I realize I don’t know. I liked Mr Chesterton’s quote. It gives a new perspective for those who are at home.

    Like

Comments are closed.