Mike Parker: 2020 saw an epidemic of uncivil discourse
The year 2020 will go down as one of the more challenging times in recent memory for our nation. Of course, the biggest story has been the COVID-19 pandemic. But other stories – a host of elections, endless negative campaigning, executive orders by the bushel baskets, and a vague dread of the impending loss of individual liberty – have also caused our collective vision to blur.
Perhaps the most unsettling revelation is how little we can trust the news media in any form. The entire notion of “objective reporting” has been replaced by agenda-driven subjectivity. No matter if the media outlet is on the right or the left, reporting the facts in a truthful way is no longer the goal of so-called journalists. Most are nothing more than hacks, lackeys, and spin doctors.
The state of today’s junk journalism hurts me to the heart. At one time, I took pride in being a member of the Fourth Estate. When I worked as a reporter, I always talked with both sides. I tried to understand the issues and the facts. I did not take the word of advocates and critics at face value. When I wrote, I did my best to give readers the information they needed to decide for themselves.
Junk journalism has brought us to the place that most thinking people on both sides of the political spectrum never know what they can believe in the so-called new reports they see, hear, and read.
One reason for the demise of real journalism lies in the fact that too many people have given up any notion of genuine truth. Matthew Dowd, an ABC news analyst and special correspondent, addressed this issue in a column he published on March 6, 2014:
“The objective truth side, no matter their political or philosophical leanings, have [sic] a tendency to look at life in black and white, and can be very judgmental in their approach to the world, politics and relationships. They assert the truth as they know it, and then operate from that platform. These folks have a very difficult time with anyone that might argue some things are relative or unknown at this time.
“The skeptics seem to come from a place where everything is gray, and that it is impossible to know the real truth, even if there is one. That all truth is relative and there is no objective reality that is true and discoverable. It seems that this group has grown over the years, and conflict has certainly increased between these subjectivists and objectivists.”
Although I do not entirely agree with Dowd’s characterization of objectivists, he has generally captured the essence of the problem. Most journalists today seem to think they come from the objectivist school of thought. Unfortunately, they actually come from the subjectivist school. They blind themselves to any truth except the truth as they see it.
The sharp divide over the issue of truth results in the shutting down of genuine debate. Civil discourse, once the pride of Americans, is no longer civil and is no longer even discourse. Slogans have replaced thoughtful debate and discussion. Mindless repetition of insults marks today’s uncivil lack of discourse.
William Jennings Bryan gave a famous speech decrying the crucifixion of American citizens on a “cross of gold.” Any thinking person today should decry crucifying individuals and society as a whole on a cross of half-baked, pseudo information. As long as journalists take the current approach to reporting, the public will have little confidence in anything they report.
Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
