Editor:
Truth is essential. Without it, trust is impossible. Yet trust is invaluable in all relationships. I’ve heard people say that truth is hard to find, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Truth is what really happens; it might be hidden, but we can search.
Two major threats to truth are social media and lack of reliable news media. News media should only report facts, leaving interpretation to the opinion page. We need reliable news sources for our lives and for business and government decision-making.
Social media threatens truth by its very nature. Remember the game “Whisper Down the Alley”? Messages often change significantly. Social media users tend not to verify before forwarding material. So stated Penn State’s S. Shyam Sundar in a webinar about the increase in “fake news,” its sources, and why consumers believe it. Tips for countering it are at sks.to/countertips.
The documentary “The Social Dilemma” sounded an alarm about social media. Besides other negative effects, its promotion of fake news is polarizing our nation and world, threatening democracy. Tristan Harris stated: “If we don’t agree on what is true, or that there’s such a thing as truth, we’re toast. This is the problem beneath other problems…”
For a refreshing example of living truthfully, watch Netflix’s “Anne With an E”, based on a classic children’s book. This young girl relies on truth in a variety of predicaments. Truth is essential to build trust and to solve problems in the real world.
Brenda Daelhousen
Spring Township
Source: Berkshire mont
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