We Have Nothing to Fear, Except the Media
The media continues to destroy our faith in America, provokes racial tension and only 32% of Americans say that they trust the media.
Avoid fear and use some good judgment and common sense.
Rule 1 Understand your principles and live by them.
Rule 2 Find the source materials for stories and draw your own conclusions. Keep things in context.
Rule 3 Email or write sponsors and media outlets regarding specific lies, misleading headlines and exaggerations.
Rule 4 Invest 2-minutes into checking facts when stories upset you or sound too good to be true.
Rule 5 Do not live in fear.
News reports will soon focus on various end of year statistics, based on our calendar year. Because the government will leak or simply provide information in drips and drabs, the media will provide lots of stories and debates. Most will be slanted to reflect the media’s desires.
Read the actual statistics that will be available on-line and to be vigilant as the media tries to manipulate us with arched eyebrows, heavy sighs and adjectives and adverbs. Some radio stations host actually talk over, drum their fingers, and sigh while broadcasting parts of speeches and press conferences! (Write the station sponsors and tell them you no longer bother to listen).
If you read the actual reports and numbers that are released, without the media filters, you will not be frightened and can make up your own mind about what the numbers mean.
In the meantime, we do have statistics from the fiscal year, 2016, which runs from October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016. I mention this because the media will quote whichever source makes their point and will even mix their sources to produce a slanted view of key issues.
Watch for reports that compare whole numbers and percentages. Watch for apple to oranges comparisons.
Remember that you cannot have it both ways. You cannot distrust the media and quote the media when something is reported that supports your views. Rely on real facts.
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