We live in an age of soundbites and quick fixes. People want to be spoon fed information and don’t wish to research anything for themselves. They see a headline, read it, and believe what it says without reading the full story, which often says something completely different from what the headline implied. They see a post on social media which is a sentence taken out of context, and make an assumption about the person making the statement, which may be far from what that person believes. They don’t go looking for the whole interview to get to the truth. I have seen this a lot recently.
This, of course, can be a dangerous thing if the person disseminating the information is either deliberately or unknowingly incorrect. Those with an audience have a responsibility to that audience, to ensure that what they state as true, really is.
It isn’t just individuals who hold a responsibility. The media, our governments and international agencies should all be held to account when they propagate lies. One of the most egregious recently bandied about, was by the UN when they stated that 14,000 infants in Gaza would die in the following 48 hours. What they should have said, was that the figure was projected for the next 12 months, should aid into Gaza not be increased. Tom Fletcher, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, made the claim to the BBC. Of course, with the speed of light, the claim travelled around the world and was posted all over news channels and social media. The subsequent UN correction debunking their own statement was not.
It points to a general trend in a lack of curiosity, critical thinking and desire for the truth.
This can only be the start of a slippery slope. If people can’t sift through information and work out what a true and what is not, they can be fed a diet of half truths and lies and not realise it.
It will lead us into a nightmare we are not able to get out of.
Beauty is Truth 