Issue 31.12
Sadly, the answer often is “NO?” The advent of blogs, twitter, facebook other social media and even Youtube and Wikipedia has opened up the possibility of manipulation or creation of “facts” by those who want to deceive us or benefit from misinforming the rest of us. The problem however, is not confined to just these information outlets. Because major news organizations including the major television networks use these as sources and people posting in them as experts, we are sometimes presented with uninformed opinion or outright lies as facts, even when tuning into the evening news.
A number of recent inaccuracies have been reported as fact because they were first reported on a blog or website and then picked up by a news organization and not checked as to validity or accuracy. This has caused news organization such as ABC, MSNBC and the New York Times to have to retract stories and is quite embarrassing, but obviously not embarrassing enough to get them to do a better job. In the meantime, often the damage is done to personal reputations or political campaigns.
While these things sometimes happen because of misunderstandings or errors in judgement, it is now clear that, at times, it is a result of intentional misrepresentation. When that happens, there should be an ability to demand a retraction and compensation for the damage caused. Because bloggers are considered by some as journalists, they are sometimes protected by laws protecting confidential sources, even when those sources are non-existent or are trying to misinform.
A very interesting new book out by a self-described “media manipulator” details much of how this is done. “Trust Me, I’m Lying” by Ryan Holiday explains how people are paid to create stories that embarrass or falsely accuse people or companies in order to influence campaigns, profits, stock prices and many other issues that affect us all. He also shows how he has created false personas who have then been quoted as an expert in major publications including the Washington Post. No one ever checked to see if the person was an actual human being, let alone if they were a real expert in the field they purported to have knowledge about.
While I am sure Mr. Holiday has his own reasons for doing this type of dirty work and then telling people about it (likely boosting the sales of his new book on the subject), the response needs to be the same. Be careful before you quote someone. Be sure that you check the source and confirm the accuracy. It is tempting to quote George Washington or Barack Obama when it is reported that they said something you wish they had said, but it may have just been made up and posted to facebook to get a reaction or prove a point without doing the homework. News people have a responsibility to check their facts before airing them, but we individually have a responsibility to check “facts” before we believe them, especially when they are too good (or bad) to be true.
I hope this will encourage people to be a little more careful and skeptical and do their homework. I also hope you will remember to always make sure you have a back up of anything important.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 30 years, 20 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or through his website at www.bitsnbytescomputers.com.