An Open Letter About Media And Influence

 

We are fortunate to live in a country and at a time when we have almost unlimited access to information--political, social and personal through many TV and radio outlets, through newspapers and through the internet. What many of us don't always take the time to realize is that all of these outlets are businesses who have owners and motives and agendas of their own which do not always reflect truth. These businesses also have advertisers who ultimately have their own agenda which could compromise the objectivity of reporting what is true.

How then can we decide that the source of our information is truthful and reliable? We probably can't, unless we know who owns the outlet and understand their motives. The other way to seek the truth is to get our information from as many different sources with diverse opinions as possible and then sift through all the different opinions and make an informed judgment.

This may seem like too much of an effort for most of us. Is it really important that we do this? It is one of the most important things that we will ever do . If we don't make the effort to be thoroughly informed, other unscrupulous individuals will be able to bend us through emotional or intellectual manipulation to become their puppets for carrying out their ideals. That is how countries ultimately lose their freedoms.

It will take the awareness of all of us that there will always be unscrupulous individuals who will try to manipulate our thinking, if we allow them to do it. A truly informed electorate is the one way that we will always be able to know the truth of any given situation and the only way that we will continue to retain our precious freedom of thought and action in a continuing free society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

June Stepansky is a published writer and poet who has a monthly web-site on the internet-- A DIFFERENT VOICE-- featuring poetry, opinion and the exploration of a happier lifestyle http://home .att.net/~adifferentvoice/ http://home.att.net/~adifferentvoice/ http://home.att.net/~adifferentvoice/ lifestyle.http://home.att.net/~adifferentvoice/

Author: June Stepansky