Most of what the mainstream media tell you is either misleading or lies. Mark Twain said it best, “If you don’t read the news, you’re uninformed; if you do read the news, you’re misinformed.” Everyone filters everything they see, read, or hear through their personal bias filter. The mainstream media is supposed to give us uninterpreted information, but they can’t help it any more than you or I can. What we get instead is information filtered through their particular bias. The facts don’t matter unless they support their personal narrative. A narrative is just a story. It can be highly detailed and presented convincingly, but that doesn’t make it true. I love reading and movies, but even so-called historical novels or movies based on a true story have fictionalised components to make them more compelling. The problem is that we, the readers or viewers, do not know which bits are real and which bits are not. Now, with the very sophisticated AI tools, you cannot be sure that any video you see is not partially or wholly faked. It doesn’t matter if it’s a movie, an interview, or something on the nightly news. Any or all of it might be an AI creation rather than real. Sometimes, it’s evident that the media is trying to push an agenda. Look at the photographs of your favourite, or not favourite, politician they publish. They’ll always choose the worst photograph for their most hated person and the best for their most loved person. Try this to see how easy it can be to get a good or bad photo. Run any video and pause it. Then, scroll your mouse across the bottom and grab an image. People look very different in a still image compared to a rolling video. Is that image manipulation designed to colour your perspective of that person? Of course it is. It’s the same with the written word. The choice of an adjective can change the tone of a sentence even when describing the same scene accurately. Particularly if the reader has only a seventh-grade reading and comprehension level or below. Perhaps I tell you that I saw a particular person masticating in public. Many people will be misled by that, but all it means is that they are chewing something. I could have used the simpler word, but if I was trying to mislead, the simpler words won’t do. Next time you read something, try changing the adjectives to discover if manipulation is going on. When you find something, let me know. Regards, P.S. Our youngest daughter has been made redundant today. She told us last night that she thought it was possible but hoped otherwise. I know how she feels tonight, I’ve been made redundant twice. It’s never a nice feeling, but I have always managed to find something better. The only constant in our lives is change. I’ll be sharing this with her: https://go.wm-tips.com/diamond. She’s smart and will see the possibility that she will be able to replace her current income from home in less time. |