The other evening, I muted the news on TV so I could listen to Dolly Parton’s version of “Let it Be.” Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr sang backups. There was such a juxtaposition of what I was hearing with what I was seeing that it was almost spiritual. Dolly has a peaceful voice, and the lyrics are so uplifting, but the pictures I saw and headlines I read were disturbing. I try to keep up with what is happening in the world, but it can be depressing, and these days, confusing.
I read, watch, and listen to the news from various outlets. News reporting today is not like it used to be. I wrote for my high school newspaper, and I remember our teacher reprimanding us when we added flourish when we should have just been reporting facts without opinions. I know I sound like a female old geezer, but I miss Walter Cronkite. He was someone most Americans trusted to report on occurrences without adding his personal thoughts. It was like watching an episode of “Dragnet” when the detective said, “Just the facts.”
Now we need “fact checkers,” and I recently read that we can’t even trust them anymore. I can attest that “fact vs. opinion” is still being taught in schools. Children are taught to look for words that indicate which statements are fact and which opinion, but if the writers can’t be trusted, then how do we teach the children what is real and what is fake? Many news writers, especially on social media, write in such a way that something sounds like fact, but may not be true. Even as an educated adult, it is difficult to determine fact from half-truths or outright lies.
I felt dejected and discouraged. All I could think was, “How do we know what is true and what isn’t these days?” Then, driving to work the next morning I saw a woman standing on a corner holding a giant sign. It read, “Jesus is the Truth.” That is all I need to know.