There is a lot of conversation these days about Fake
News. I realized a long time ago that most news agencies carried a certain ideological
bias in their reporting, but in the past there was at least an effort to
maintain the appearance of objectivity. These days that bias is worn on the
news outlet’s sleeve. There is little effort applied to disguise the ideological
leaning.
Fake news isn’t limited to the major media outlets,
either. With the prominence of social media, especially Facebook in our
generation, it is easier than ever to have our gullible sides exposed. The
information superhighway has run right over us. I routinely have people send me
stories in Instant Messenger or they tag me and ask me, “Is this true?”
Especially about SBC matters. Eek.
Several realities come to mind for me when I am trying to
understand whether an online story is true:
·
Is it Satire? Sites like the Babylon Bee or the
Onion are satirical. They mimic the format that stories usually follow, but
they are intended to give the reader a chuckle. In truth, having a sense of
humor is going to help you a lot in these days.
·
Have I done any basic research? With the
availability of online search engines (Google) we are without excuse if we do
not read several stories before hitting “share.” Don’t be lazy. That laziness
is often a costly exercise in propagandizing at the minimum and intellectual dishonesty
at worst.
·
Be willing to wade into the complexity and
nuances of the story. Really knowing anything in the information age is complicated
and it requires an unusual degree of willingness to be “quick to listen, slow
to speak, and slow to [express] wrath” (James 1:19).
·
Realize that Bloggers have biases too. Recognize
blogs, for that matter. Blogs can be interesting. I blog. But you don’t need
credentials to blog. One of the major challenges I am seeing is that many
people read blogs as if they were the inerrant word of God. But this is just
some human being, or group of human beings expressing an opinion. You have the
responsibility of not running with their opinion without doing some basic
research. This is especially true of so-called “discernment blogs,” some of
which are just outright distortions of reality that align with the writer’s theological
biases. Before you believe some story about a prominent public Christian, why
not make an effort at reading what that person has said for yourself? It’s not
that hard.
·
Exhibit your expressed value for truth.
Christians say that we are living for truth. Ok. Live for truth in your media
intake, too. Be truthful in your Facebook sharing. Take care that what you are
sharing is really true. Unsure? Ask someone you trust. But even more importantly,
do some personal research.
·
Occasionally read articles and ideas from people
you disagree with. That’s called critical thinking. Flesh out the prayer that
says, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” That would be good.
I once heard someone say that the “brutally honest person
perhaps enjoys the brutality as much as the honesty.” In this current public atmosphere
with its often brutal, caustic, openly crass political tone we who represent
Christ to our culture must take the advice of Jesus: “Behold I am sending you
out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be wise as serpents but as harmless as
doves” (Matthew 10:6).
Comments