Today’s generation is bombarded with countless news stories that do not seem to follow a logical order of events. As a result, most of us are faced with the question: How do I determine if my news sources are telling me the truth or a load of BS?
Well there is no shortage of websites that can provide such insight into what we read and hear in the news. Unfortunately, this tool is the problem. How do I tell when my source is an honest source or a liar? This is how I became intrigued with using worksheets to answer the question: Am I being lied to by this source?
Using worksheets that asking questions is like having readers analysis a story you are writing. They take notes as you summarize key points and questions. By doing this they are able to give you exact quotes to use in your writing.
Recently we have been talking about the recent fires in California. There has been an explosion of media coverage and websites. The question is, “are they lying?” Or, is the media creating a giant wake up call to save California’s economy and population?
The answer to this question would depend on who you ask. If you were to ask any economist (Federal Reserve, Council of Economic Advisors, major Wall Street banks) what they know about the fires they would probably laugh at you. No one in the media will tell you anything positive about California’s economy.
Another group of people who should know the answer to this question is the family that lost their lives in the Santa Barbara wildfires and were evacuated from their homes by the local fire department. They have been interviewed multiple times by various media outlets. If you were to ask them, “are they lying?”
My advice for these families is to think about a movie called Clueless. In this movie Rachel McAdams plays a student who is so dumb that she cannot fathom that a movie review would provide a real reason for the film’s failure. Not only is she the dumbest girl in the world but also in many ways the most irresponsible.
These individuals have a problem and as they have learned nothing in life doesn’t lack a problem. Therefore, they don’t care whether the reporter is intentionally misinforming them or not. In fact, if they are told that what they are hearing is not true they will be more convinced that it is true.
