It seems that we are living, in the age of fake or fake news! Sometimes there are simply a few flaws in an otherwise accurate report, while other times the entire statement or article is in total error. It seems that both sides of the political spectrum take advantage of these types of tactics. While this is probably not a new phenomenon, for a variety of reasons it appears that we are witnessing an epidemic of these. Individuals, who rarely tell the truth, attack their opponents, claiming that anything, written or stated, that opposes them is false fact! How can anyone know what might be true and what reports are not?

1. Why does it appear, this is more frequent, today?: Are we really seeing more of this, or does it just seem that way? In the past, there were far fewer forms of news media and coverage was mainly covered by a few newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations. Today, with the growth of cable television, satellite radio, and of course the Internet, there seem to be endless outlets. While we used to rely on the reputation of the company and developed a degree of trust in certain newscasters such as Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley and Chet Huntley etc, today instead of balanced reporting some seem to focus on the conservative or right-wing positions, while others are more progressive or left-wing. Major networks, and cable networks (which are owned by major companies), often skew their reporting based on their perspectives, positions, and audience demographics. How often, have we observed, does a specific company seem to focus and report much more on the right call than the others?

two. The Donald Trump Phenomenon: Whether one supports and believes in, or opposes and despises/fears, etc., most agree that Donald Trump is significantly different than those who came before him. His campaign seemed to bring hope, and to some extent idol worship, to/from his core supporters, and he used rhetoric and vitriol to encourage. and even allow them to see things as us against them! Most political fact-checkers, President Trump, had consistently and consistently lied, at a record rate, even for a politician. He seems to change positions as the wind blows, and while he proclaims himself the so-called master negotiator, his style is more antagonistic/polarizing than unifying.

3. Why do his followers continue to support him and believe in him?: There are many theories, but I think the main reason is the message, it articulates, it is what they want to hear. He fuels their fears and seems to allow them, in order to feel justified, with their often prejudiced positions, which they believe benefit them. They don’t seem to care about his lies and even his actions, as long as he continues to articulate a message, they want to hear it!

Wake up, America, because, until/unless you do, our nation will no longer remain the country that stands for freedom and justice for all. We’ve seen this before, and the impact, on history, was consistently sad!