“An
author – whether novelist, essayist, or poet – should write out
of the richest possible mix: a mix that should by all means include a
keen awareness of the main forces at play in the world. The writer’s
mind is, or should be, a kind of burning lens that bends inward and
brings to a white-hot focus a great variety of previously unconnected
facts, experiences, and impressions.
“The
wider the cone of rays he brings to that focus, the more heat, light,
and penetrating power he is likely to generate.”
– Norman
Cousins, Writer's Digest, January 1970
As a teacher of
composition at a local high school, I subscribed to two essential
truths in writing – (1) an “inner truth” – being honest
within your own perspective and writing “what you know” and (2)
an “outer truth” – being consistent with that which is true or
in accordance with fact or reality.
I understand “the truth”
is subjective; however, the facts are not. Facts are concrete, and
writers use them as the foundation to build their story. Much of the
beauty in writing is in the candor. This sincerity is a hallmark of
all writing, but especially pertinent in journalistic composition.
In their book, The
Elements of Journalism, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel identify
the essential principles and practices of journalism …
“Journalism’s first
obligation is to the truth. Good decision-making depends on people
having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context.
Journalism does not pursue truth in an absolute or philosophical
sense, but in a capacity that is more down to earth.”
All truths – even the
laws of science – are subject to revision, but we operate by them
in the meantime because they are necessary and they work,” Kovach
and Rosenstiel write in the book. Journalism. They understand
a writer thus seeks “a practical and functional form of truth.”
It is not the truth in the absolute or philosophical or scientific
sense but rather a pursuit of “the truths by which we can operate
on a day-to-day basis.”
Good writers strive to put
the public interest – and the truth – above their own
self-interest or assumptions. Thus, to writers, telling the truth is
“not just getting facts right”; moreover, they must “affirm
moral truths about human existence.” Writing gains power as it
affirms this often elusive veracity.
“Needless
to say, with such new power comes new obligations. Anyone who writes
well but dishonestly will be like a child flipping levers at random
on the command console at a missile base. More than ever before, a
dishonest but superficially persuasive article or TV essay will have
a perhaps unimaginably bad effect.
– Norman
Cousins, Writer's Digest, January 1970
As the actual process of
writing resembles a Möbius strip, a sense-defying continuous loop of
conscious and unconscious activity, any writer of truth trusts his or
her words to find an audience, traditionally a group seeking honesty
and verification.
Today, unfortunately, that
audience has been tainted by a news media and a government entwined
in a vicious circle of mutual manipulation, myth-making, and
self-interest. Paul H. Weaver, a former political scientist at
Harvard University and journalist at Fortune magazine, says in
his provocative analysis entitled “News
and the Culture of Lying: How Journalism Really Works” …
“The two institutions
have become so ensnared in a symbiotic web of lies that the news
media are unable to tell the public what is true and the government
is unable to govern effectively.”
This entanglement is
visible to any observer. While partisan politicians care less about
the truth than about their own narcissistic needs, the public feels
an obligation to choose which “truth” is more believable. Both
conservatives and liberals rely on biased media companies to filter
the facts and twist the stories to meet their expectations.
Propaganda predates the
written word, and all intelligent and caring humans must deal with
sorting out the truth from the lies, but the current indoctrination
of division by high-ranking officials is very troubling. Journalist
and author I. F. Stone once said, “All governments lie, but
disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same
hashish they give out.”
The
popular concept of fake news has been defined as “news,
stories or hoaxes created to deliberately misinform or deceive
readers.” Usually, these stories are created to either influence
people’s views, push a political agenda, or cause confusion. A
profit motive is often the reason for such deception. Of course now
the internet and social media have dramatically changed the ways fake
news is created and spread.
This brings me to a
simple observation about writing in the 21st century: Facts you don't
like are not fake news.
Critical thinking is
essential while seeking truth. Research like that of Bente Kalsnes
of the Department of
Journalism and Media Studies at Oxford University has found
“countering fake news addresses the multitude of approaches to
detect and combat fake news on different levels, from legal,
financial, and technical aspects to individuals’ media and
information literacy and new fact-checking services.” Skills of
detection increase a person's understanding of the truth.
Still, most people take
too little time to think critically as they prefer to match their own
beliefs with any proposal of proof – fake or not – from partisan
sources. In this apparent fog of dissemination, one thing remains a
constant obligation. That is this – a person must accept facts
(truth) even in the face of his or her bitter denial. Refusal to
receive and give credence to facts only adds to the deceit eroding
the noble and common conscience. Likewise, refusal to accept the
truth demeans the contribution of any good writer attempting to shed
light on the world.
“Shocking
writing is like murder: the questions the jury must decide are the
questions of motive and intent.”
– E.B.
White, winner of the National Medal for Literature
and
Presidential Medal of Freedom awards
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