Opinion: We have duty to tell fact from fiction

As I was driving the other day, I heard some troubling rants as I surfed the AM dial for a little talk.

One was from some preacher who was comparing people who don’t pay their rent to demons who occupy free space in our souls. His logic, if you can call it that, was dumbfounding. Who is his audience? Landlords who aren’t getting their rent checks? Hardline capitalists who don’t care about anything but getting paid?

Then I landed my dial on a couple of reactionaries talking among themselves. The host was questioning whether there are any honest journalists left, while the guest was timidly saying, yeah, there might be a few. They didn’t name names, but I’m pretty sure they were condemning all those who dare to report facts that don’t fit into their Trump-loving, liberal-hating world view.

It’s amazing how many people have aligned themselves with false narratives. They’re convinced that all other narratives aren’t just wrong, they’re lies, and the liars who tell them know they are wrong, but they spout them out anyway.

Those on the far right see their opponents — which include “illegals” at the border and all others with color and an attitude — aren’t just wrong, they’re an existential threat. They are evil, sayeth the preachers and pundits on my AM dial, as if they’re the ones with the right to judge all others.

And, yes, there are folks on the left who demonize their opponents as well. It’s easier that way.

There are a lot of factors that have contributed to this devolution in our national discourse. Internet algorithms that push us toward the extremes are a big contributor, but so are a few of the older mediums out there. Cable news, network television and, of course, hyperbolic talk radio all deserve their share of the blame.

I put a big part of the blame on the advent of “reality television” — where the lines between fantasy and reality are intentionally blurred to advance a dramatic narrative for an entertainment-seeking audience.

That’s how Donald Trump got his start as a national celebrity, via “The Apprentice” on NBC, and the persona he created for himself helped him get elected president.

Of course, before all that, there was the advent of 24-hour cable news. First there was CNN, then came FOX, and it grew from there. To keep their round-the-clock audiences engaged, they learned to sensationalize the news and jump to conclusions as fast as possible. It devalued the importance of meticulously covering all the pertinent facts and getting it right — and the “alternative facts” narrative was born.

It’s easy to blame Big Media for these deficiencies but we consumers have to bear some responsibility as well. We have a duty to discern fact from fiction, but a lot of people aren’t doing that anymore.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

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