The Misleading Media: Feeding Misinformation To The Public
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

The Misleading Media: Feeding Misinformation To The Public

What the media doesn't always tell you is the truth.

5320
The Misleading Media: Feeding Misinformation To The Public
Aaron's Environmental

In this day and age, people have numerous ways to obtain information on what is happening in the world. Whether it be through your favorite news outlet or through your preferred social media platform, the circulation of information is all around us. The only problem with information being all around us is that some times that information can be misleading.

Let's begin with misleading information on social media platforms. I would say the main social media platforms where you will see misleading information are Twitter and Facebook. These are sites that people of all ages, countries and colors use. Our dear President, Mr. Trump, is an avid Twitter user himself. Anyway... The lovely thing about Twitter and Facebook, or any social media website, is that you are free to voice, or rather type, your opinion on absolutely anything. Knowing that, users talk about what they please. From the latest on celebrities to the most recent political action, "facts" float on the surface of everyone's timelines.

Scrolling down my Facebook and Twitter feeds, I stumble upon a plethora of discrepancies in information. The feeding of misinformation to the public directly relates to the source from where the information is published.

While scrolling on my Facebook feed shortly after the election last November, I clicked on an article entitled, "Bernie Sanders Could Replace Donald Trump Using Secret Loophole."

With such an intriguing headline, how could I have scrolled past this rational and factual-seeming article? It seemed completely realistic! Please tell me you caught my sarcasm there.

The purpose of that headline was to show society that social media users will share an article before they even read it. The article received an obscene amount of shares on Facebook, proving the intellectual laziness of our people. No one could have truly thought that there was a "secret loophole," but we all had that spark of curiosity that prompted us to click the link.

Another example of misleading information, not regarding politics, is a tweet that made it's way to my Twitter timeline one day. The tweet had a picture of Albert Einstein, edited with the following quote, "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots."

Something did not seem right to me about this quote. Being the skeptic that I am, I then decided to search the quote on this magical search engine called Google.

Crazy, right? A place to look up information on your own? No way!

After conducting my research, I was able to come to the conclusion that this quote was indeed fake. There were no records of Albert Einstein saying that. This tweet, along with the intriguingly headlined article of Bernie Sanders' "secret loophole" to the presidency, serve as minor examples of how our society is misguided by the media.

Getting specifically political, another instance of misleading information comes directly from our President. On Tuesday, February 7th, 2017, President Trump made a remark during a meeting with sheriffs in the White House stating that "the murder rate in our country is the highest it's been in 47 years." Unfortunately, that statement was proven incorrect by Politifact, a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials. Most recently, the murder rate was the highest in the 1990s, but continued to decrease until 2014 when the murder rates experienced an increase. This is an example of how misleading information can come from anywhere or anyone (even our President), not only from social media or news outlets.

A misguided and politically confused society is the product of biased news sources. One thing that Democrats and Republicans share alike is that both parties have their preferred news sources that they feel are the most credible. According to a late 2016 Business Insider poll on a selected amount of the most and least trusted news sources in America, ABC had the highest credibility rating. ABC, along with CBS, CNN and NBC have audiences that lean more toward the left. Fox's audience tends to be more conservative.

On the other hand, we must be careful when drawing distinctions between news outlets based on collected survey data. The end result of survey data is subject to a sample margin of error.

Nevertheless, my point is simple: misinformation is all around us. The only way to avoid being misinformed is to conduct your own research.

Stop believing everything you see on Facebook or Twitter, or even on the news, and take the initiative to research whatever you like on your own. After all, the best opinion is your own opinion. Embrace it! You only have one voice, so make sure you are using it correctly. Lay off the diet of misinformation, and feed off of your own conduction of research.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
the beatles
Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

Keep Reading...Show less
Being Invisible The Best Super Power

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

19 Lessons I'll Never Forget from Growing Up In a Small Town

There have been many lessons learned.

70730
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

132351
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments