Feelings, emotions and personal belief are the new truth and facts. It’s not an easy task to work out fact from fiction, from information to misinformation to disinformation. Even if presented with reality and the actual facts, there are some that will never believe it.
Alternative facts and The Daily Mail
We now live in an age where ‘alternative facts’ are a genuine stance taken by…well, seemingly anyone who doesn’t like reality, or truth/fact contradicts their narrative.
News sources are now, only trusted if you agree with the ‘facts’ given.
The Daily Mail, for instance, isn’t trusted by Wikipedia to be a reliable source, yet is still the best selling ‘news’ paper.
If the Mail can’t be trusted to tell the truth about what is actually happening in the world, can it still be a newspaper? And why would anyone read it?
Is it because the Mail confirms to its readers what they already think and believe?
Perhaps the Mail has a different agenda to reporting the news and knows how to manipulate its readers?
What came first, I wonder, was it the readership that set the agenda/narrative, or the Mail?
Classic ‘chicken and egg’ conundrum.
Recent personal examples of truth and/ or facts not mattering or indeed being believed…
What happens when the media itself becomes part of the problem? Who holds it to account? 14 years after the Leveson Inquiry reported its findings, has anything really changed? And how can we build something better?
Join Bylines Network on Wednesday 21 October, for a vital conversation about the media Britain needs — and what it will take to get there.
The event will conclude with a live audience Q&A.
Asylum seekers benefits
I was told recently that asylum seekers get given cars, after challenging them about it, I was told that I was living in a bubble, not living in the real world.
When I talked about who pays for said car, petrol, MOT, insurance etc…we do apparently.
When asked about it never being mentioned in Parliament, not even by Reform, they were still unwilling to change their mind.
Disability benefits
Apparently, the vast majority of claimants are swinging the lead, gaming the system etc.
Having worked in the sector, I was totally confident in stating that, the reality is exactly the opposite.
Sadly, that wasn’t good enough, they much preferred to stick with their belief. The only people they knew were, definitely not ill, or disabled and were 100% taking us all for idiots.
So, truth, facts, reality don’t matter to a number of people…
They believe that asylum seekers get cars, people on benefits don’t need the states help, and any old rubbish being pushed by people with an agenda…because they WANT to believe it.
