We Are the Media

Today I received an email suggesting that the media are sensationalizing the war in Iraq and Israel and other things. That's a big surprise. The link I followed from this email warned of misrepresentation by the Rueters News Agency, and showed a number of apparently staged photos meant to convince me that what Reuters is doing is both new and immoral. Maybe it's immoral, but it is hardly new. War correspondents have ALWAYS arranged their photographs to be compelling. That's what being a photojournalist is all about.

That doesn't mean that it's OK to send us trumped up descriptions of what's really happening. We'd like to be properly informed, wouldn't we? Does it make you angry to think that the media are the ones directing public opinion? Would you be shocked if it were suggested that you might also be guilty?

In this day of Internet access, we are all the media. What we say, what we send to others, and what we propose is fact gets passed along in our emails to each other every day. And if it is true that if you know 7 people you can connect to everyone else in the world, then the world needs to be on its toes.

In the past week, I have received emails asking me to look for the missing daughter of someone's deli manager, prompting me to stop shopping at Target because they don't support veterans, urging me to see the Mars spectacular this month, warning me of an 809 area code scam, and yet another message promising that Microsoft will send me a substantial check just for forwarding this email. All of these messages came to me from trusted family members and friends. Not one of them is rooted in reality.

It's pretty easy to get emotionally involved in "doing the right thing". But the forwarding of false information is not necessarily the right thing to do. Before you send off a message to everyone in your address book, please take a few minutes to determine if what you are sending along has merit. Sending along random emails without checking on their veracity could do much more harm than good. Crying "wolf" too often numbs us all.

Did you know that the man who first started the Target email has retracted his message and stated:

"I made a mistake on this one, and I've learned a hard lesson — that's for sure. What started out as a message for the members in our organization has turned into a hate-type thing. I never wanted to start any national boycott. I just wish it would all stop.

"Some people have used my words and perpetuated lies. It's sad that some of these people would use veterans as a way to push their own political views. I've sent out a retraction, and no one pays any attention."

Snopes.com is a good place to start. Before you send out that message meant to save your family and loved ones, be sure you are a responsible journalist.

There is real news out there and there are real ways for us to get involved and help. It would be a terrible tragedy if we missed out on the opportunity to solve a real problem because we have seen so much nonsense come across our screens that we no longer recognize the truth. If you have a truly urgent message, then please let us know. If you have just received a message that sounds good, please check it out before forwarding it. This is an important responsibility in the fight for truth, justice, and the American way.