Friday, February 10, 2017

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

Growing up among a generation considering it as a dream job, my idea of a journalist consists of a highly ambitious person that is out to change the world. He (or she) is driven by the urge of seeking the truth and delivering it to everyone. Of course, a good journalist would always try his (or her) best to remain objective.

But then there are also people like the radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. They either see the world from their right-wing perspective and reflect a politician’s utterance in a deformed way so they can believe their own lies in the end. Or they simply alter a politician’s utterance in a way that fits their own biases which suits their manipulative ways of shaping people’s minds. I can not even tell which is worse.
 
So the given question if „the right wing’s media manipulation of identity politics“ was „actually interested in the truth“ somehow gives the answer itself. Where there is manipulation, the absolute truth can not be found. They are enemies. Opposites. Truth and manipulation can not coexist. 

Interestingly, the expression „truth“ is often being used by religious cults that are known for manipulation of their (potential) members. Mind controllers tend to give themselves an image of the only group of people that has found pure truth. But, to say it in the words of Oscar Wilde’s Algernon („The Importance of Being Earnest“): „The truth is barely pure and never simple“.

Finding truth is just as complicated as defining it. Anyways, I dare say that no one who manipulates others is actually interested in the truth. Such a person is only interested in selfish goals or in supporting those of the political parties or other groups they believe in. This is a conclusion which has already caused enormous cracks in my glorious teenage vision of journalism years ago. With freedom of the press comes the opportunity for the so-called fourth estate to use its power for spreading personal ideas concerning political biases. Truth is anything but the right wing media’s interest.


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