FACT OR FICTION

"Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs."  Pearl Stracham Hurd

I've been thinking about the power of blogs, lately.  Not just because I write one - but because I have become increasingly aware of the degree to which they affect the information we receive.  It used to be that we heard the news at 6:00 by good old trusty Walter Cronkite who ended his broadcast with, "And that's the way it is" and we believed him because he said so.  His voice was the be-all and end-all to the news.  He told us everything we needed to know.  Life continued after the designated news hour without the rabid craving for more and more information that seems to consume us now.  Were we better off then?  I don't know.  Hey - I surf the web as much as the next guy, so I can't really make a judgment.

The thing is, however, that I wonder if we have lost a clear avenue of truth.  It isn't just a matter of the 24 hour news channels which are truly more about opinions than facts.  It is this whole slippery slope of the internet...a place where people can put anything about anyone out there for the world to read/see with no real perimeters for the truth.  I could write in this little space that Sarah Palin wears men's underwear...and if it is a slow news day, someone trolling the internet might stumble across this insignificant blog and decide that bit of completely unfounded information was newsworthy.  Theoretically, I could turn on the TV and see "Sarah Palin proves she has balls because she wears men's underwear" scrolling along the bottom of CNN.

Blogs are unrestrained by traditional journalistic methods and ethics and some of them have readerships larger than many newspapers, TV and radio shows.  They have the power to shape opinions and affect lives.  Just look at the recent debacle with Shirley Sherrod, the USDA worker who was forced to resign because of a political-media fiasco that was started by a blogger.

Unfortunately, there are no electronic filters that separate truth from fiction.  There really is only one tool we can use:  critical thinking.  We truly have to think about what we see and hear.  We have to evaluate and select.  We have to engage our minds. 

Maybe that is a good thing.  In this world where technology is taking over everything - it is nice to know my mind is still my most valuable tool.

Still, some days I miss good old Walter.