Amidst Misinformation, Critical Thinking Crucial
To the editor:
I have become more and more disillusioned by the amount of misinformation that keeps getting cited as facts, so I did a bit of research as to how and why we are being misinformed so often. One of the key reasons has to do with the appeal of the “Fairness Doctrine.” This policy was put in place in the US by the Federal Communications Commission in 1949. It required broadcasters to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints. The doctrine was abolished in 1987. Since that time media outlets are free to present issues from one perspective, typically either the left or the right, which allows them to appeal to a particular audience. CNN for example tailors its message to appeal to Democratic viewers and Fox to Republican ones. This improves rating and profits, as we all prefer to hear opinions that align with our existing perspective and quite honestly our biases. This can go too far as Fox found out when it was accused of knowingly and repeatedly presenting false claims about Dominion’s voting machines. As you may, or may not know, Fox settled and paid $787.5 million without admitting wrongdoing. That’s a lot of money but one could argue that the settlement was fair and balanced under the circumstances.
Unfortunately, now that media outlets often tailor their coverage to appeal to their target audience, we miss a lot of facts and don’t have an opposing view to challenge us, even when information to the contrary is readily available. Many opinions are stated as facts in opinion pieces. Here are some recent statements that were presented here that are worth checking.
• Claim: US energy independence has been destroyed. Fact: 2023 will be a new record high for oil production, beating the record set in 2019. The same is true for natural gas, wind and solar energy production and each of these records is set to be broken again in 2024. Source: United States Energy Information Administration (EIA).
• Claim: The US is currently facing its worst inflation in history. Fact: Historical data indicates that the highest inflation rates occurred post-World War I and in the late 1970s to early 1980s, peaking around 20% and 11%, respectively. The recent rise from 1.2% in 2020 to 8.0% in 2022, largely due to pandemic-related factors and government stimulus put in place under Donald Trump. This inflation rate is significant but not unprecedented. The good news is that inflation has dropped dramatically with 2023 averaging only 3.2%. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI)
• Myth:Agrowing number of scientist question climate change. Fact: Over 97% of climate scientists concur that human activities are a major factor in global warming. This consensus is not new; Exxon scientists acknowledged the impact of carbon dioxide emissions in 1977. Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The fact that 2023 will have the highest average global temperature on record should at least motivate you to question and research why this is occurring versus just attributing everything to natural variation.
Please be critical of information you get from single media sources. Go to the public library and ask for help if you need it. Short of this, please pause before you repeat something that others may have already challenged and know to be false.