Learning How to Read

There has been a lot of talk about how the advent of social media and things like blogging has changed media, transformed writing and allowed for the rise of citizen journalists.  There has been some discussion about the responsibilities of writers in social media (including in this blog.)  There has been less discussion about the growing need to be a responsible reader.

When our primary news and information sources came from mainstream media (newspapers, television, books, radio) it got to us after having passed through several filters of journalists and editors.  These filters had many effects on the news we consumed, including the fact that a news story had to pass muster with numerous people to make it on the air or on the page.

With the explosion of "news" sources those filters are greatly reduced or removed altogether.  While this allows for more and more diverse voices and a more immediate access to information, it also allows for more deception, inaccuracies and lies to be paraded around as news and facts.  In the absence of editors, and probably despite them, we must learn to be more judicious and critical readers.

There has always been a difference in the reliability of news sources.  Walter Cronkite in the 60s and 70s was above reproach.  He signed off every newscast with "That's the way it was..." and it WAS the way it was!  Mostly because Walter Cronkite had said so!  I have no idea if Mr. Cronkite was any better of a journalist than the newscasters today.  I do know that he had the trust of the public.

To be a responsible consumer of media these days, you need to do more that to turn to wherever Walter Cronkite is broadcasting.  You need to assess the sources of the messages you are consuming.  Are they coming from a reputable journalist or a lonely writer (your truly included) who is expressing opinions without access to resources for fact checking and data inputs.

I do not mean to suggest that lonely writers are always less credible or that established journalists are more credible.  I am only urging that as a responsible reader, you should assess the "quality" of the source of the information you are consuming.  In a way it is no different than how you would judge a restaurant.  You can still get food poisoning from a restaurant with white tablecloths and four forks and you can eat the best burger you will ever find with a hole in the wall place with cracked linoleum floors and a creaky fan in the corner.  But those would be exceptions to the rule.

As readers in the internet age, we are no longer constrained about reading from our local sources of information.  While that means we can more easily learn about events in Bangladesh and popular music trends in Omsk, it also means we are reading from unfamiliar sources.

Ultimately, as with so many things, it comes down to trust.  As a responsible reader, you need to pay attention to your sources.  You need to figure out if you can trust the ramblings of a favorite blogger (ahem) or the anonymous sources of the established reporter.

You have the choice.  Choose wisely.

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