Last night a CNN, 'expert' political commentator (and Trump supporter) Scottie Nell Hughes claimed, “There’s no such thing, unfortunately, anymore of facts.”She was debating the fake news issue. [She also has a problem with sentence structure, but I digress.] Hughes was ironically stating that--as fact.
We all know Senator Daniel Moyihan famously stated that we are entitled to our our opinions, but not our own set of facts. Well, the late Senator would be very disturbed at what the world sees now as 'fact'.
The tweets and re-tweets of inaccurate or vilifying 'facts' are too numerous to name. If you can't list at least five of them right off the top of your head--then you are either not paying attention or don't care anymore.
Not paying attention is of great concern to me because I am also focusing on the theme of 'taking things for granted.' We, for instance, took for granted that the President knew The Constitution's provisions. We took for granted that both parties operated for the greater interests of this nation and the provisions of its Constitution (i.e. the Supreme Court). We took for granted what the news anchor said was based on solid reporting. We took for granted that news organizations were really that--journalistic cooperation that stood by a code of ethics and would not publish scurrilous rumors. There was a clear distinction between the National Enquirer and the Washington, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Atlanta, etc. NEWSpapers.
And we took for granted that The President of the United States spoke to the American people about facts, with dignity and restraint, and with the full support of the experts on domestic and foreign policy standing behind him (not her, yet). He would not be flippant. He would not speak until he had full command of the FACTS.
Which gets me back to the facts. Each evening as I grew up, Walter Cronkite ended each broadcast with his signature phrase: "That's the way it is." He was a republican. Conservative. And that did not matter because he was Walter Cronkite. His was the soul of the news business. He told us exactly when JFK died. He told us that Neil Armstrong had landed on the moon--and he smiled as he took off his glasses, on both occasions, as we saw his emotions bubble to the surface.
I remember when he famously went to the jungles of Vietnam to report on the conflict; checking if what Dan Rather and others were saying was true. He was shaken. He told us that this war was tragic, misguided, and he felt for our troops in harm's way and the poor people of Vietnam were caught in the middle. More than anyone, Cronkite may have turned the tide of public opinion. That's the way he was.
I'm not sure any of the news anchors have that status with the American people. Maybe they do, some of them, but many of us are not paying attention--or the news anchors are not 'telling it like it is.' That is another story for another day.
Then there are the other people who do not care anymore about facts. They either don't believe anyone or they believe in opinions based on blind faith. Both are dangerous. People who don't believe anyone just themselves--and I understand why. They feel betrayed by forces that took away jobs and medical benefits. Divorce has ravaged their souls and pocketbooks. To many of these Americans, the 'facts' don't matter--their life's realities matter. But this is precisely when they abdicate their duty as citizens in our democracy. This is a the republic that needs their educated citizenry, and they DO BELIEVE DEEP DOWN that America is the greatest nation on earth. Their apathy is a sad and a scary proposition.
Or they listen to others (not read, mind you) LISTEN to others, and take their statements as truth--blindly. The 'sources' of this information often have never served this country either as civilians or soldiers. They are not privy to National Security briefings. They get their facts from 'their guts'--or from other like minded folk. And they spew it out as if it is the Word of the Lord.
These 'believers' are looking for simple answers to what informed folks know are very complicated issues. The facts are lost. It's about ratings, eyeballs on the screen, 'if it bleeds it leads' is how the media mantra goes, and if the blood is made up or exaggerated, oh well (see Clinton's children prostitution ring). The loudest voice in the media replaces the smartest man or woman in the room.
So...I will read David Brooks, Tom Friedman, Farid Zakaria, etc. They represent voices of the right, the center and left center. But I will question. I will check on the facts. Facts do matter. Truth does exist. I look for that evidence whether it is data, studies, surveys, opinions of experts in the field--because that is what American democracy depends.. An enlightened, energetic citizenry is what makes us a 'more perfect union.'
We are lucky to live in the USA, but it is a privilege and a responsibility, but I surely miss Walter Cronkite.
And that is the way it is.
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