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Monday was National Taco Day. Hey, what happened to the taco on Tuesday? Seems like there is a day or a week for each cause.
This week is the 81st Annual National Newspaper Week! In my opinion, National Newspaper Week is more important than Taco Monday. Or as the child said as he sat in his father’s lap, “Why is press freedom under the First Amendment?” The father’s answer was the correct one: “Because it is the most important. “
One of the most important roles free press provides is to be a “watchdog” for you as a taxpayer. As some lawmakers try to shut the door on open meetings, the press is fighting back so you know what’s going on.
We live in an age of disinformation, mainly because of social media. Far too many people rely on social media for information. As one person put it, “There are 27 versions of what happened online. Does anyone know the whole story? The answer is to take a journal and understand the story.
We got a great idea of how disinformation is generated when Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee appeared on “60 minutes” in an interview Sunday as a woman who anonymously filed complaints with federal law enforcement that the company’s own research shows how much it amplifies hatred and misinformation.
She said that “Facebook, time and time again, has shown that it prefers profit over security and they are sending you information on your News Feed that will make you want to check it out more and more.
For example, if you heavily refer to articles from a political party, you will be bombarded with news from that party that will keep your interest at a maximum level. What is at issue are the algorithms that govern what appears on user newsfeeds.
It has contributed to more division and ill will which has driven people further apart. The more they feed people, the more they consult Facebook, and Facebook’s income grows.
In my opinion, the world would be a much better place if all social platforms were taken out. Social media has gone beyond connecting people to this country’s most polarizing platform. Think about the negativity, hate, fear, and bullying in your feed. No matter what the subject, people attack each other in the most vile and evil way.
Part of Facebook’s company Instagram has recommended false claims about COVID-19, vaccines and the 2020 US election to people who appeared interested in related topics, according to a new report from a group that tracks disinformation in line.
This Monday, probably for the first time in a long time, husbands and wives and others spoke to each other because Facebook and its family of apps, including Instagram and WhatsApp, were inaccessible for hours, removing a platform of vital communication used by billions.
I mention these sources to emphasize how important it is to have trusted newspapers and TV reporters reporting the truth. Remember when you knew it was the truth if Walter Cronkite said it?
You don’t have to worry about your local TV or newspaper reporter. These are some of the national media and social media that have polarized our country so much on every issue. We have tech and media platforms that not only have created this divide, but continue to drive a wedge between us. This is what we can take away from National Newspaper Week.
In this week that we’ve designed to bring attention to what we do here at the News Journal, we appreciate your confidence that we can keep you updated on things that matter to you.
We need facts about what’s going on in our community. We want to keep you up to date with what is happening at city hall, the school board, local elections and many other things that affect your life. Rather than having to rely on misinformation on social media, we’ve trained professional journalists who are here to serve you. Thank you for being part of our audience.
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