Question every news source

A few months ago, I was having dinner with a fourteen-year-old member of my family. We were talking about the news and what is going on in the world and we struck up a conversation about current events. The discussion shifted to the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans where a deranged ISIS influenced lunatic drove his truck into a crowd of people. My family member told me that he had heard about the incident and from his understanding, a truck was responsible for the carnage.

When I heard him say a truck caused the deaths of fourteen innocent lives that day, I was in shock. I immediately asked him where he had heard this nonsense, and he said he saw the story on TikTok and stood firm that it was the truck that was responsible.

I immediately switched gears to help educate him about the reality of the situation. I explained that an American born terrorist who was brainwashed by ISIS intentionally committed this horrific act, and the truck was not responsible. The terrorist was. I also communicated my deep concern about how he believed something was true, simply because he saw it on TikTok and assumed it was accurate. It’s a scary thought to think that a large number of Americans believe everything they see and hear, regardless of the source.

One of the most impactful discussions I have with people these days is about where and how they consume their news. It’s no secret that the media is heavily influenced by radical left-wing ideology. One of the most recent glaring examples of its influence was the media’s cover up of former President Joe Biden’s declining health and his inability to effectively serve as Commander in Chief.

Americans witnessed President Biden trip three times walking up the stairs of Air Force One, get lost on stage numerous times and be unable to complete full sentences on countless occasions, including the word salads he attempted to sputter during the highly televised Presidential debate with Trump. Yet for some reason, this massive cover up was allowed to happen, right in front of our eyes. Fortunately, common sense Americans saw right through it.

Ih full disclosure, I’m a tad jaded by the bias of the media. After seventeen years of writing for the once, extremely influential New Hampshire Union Leader, I experienced censorship. In July, 2024, the Union Leader refused to publish a column I wrote about DEI, due to a newly hired, radical left wing editor’s decision. She cited “political bias” as the reason for refusing to publish my column and that should tell you enough.

While I was dismayed about their decision to not publish my column, I was most concerned that loyal readers of my column would never read about a topic I knew they cared deeply about. Instead, I made the decision to stop submitting my weekly column for publication due to being censored. My core beliefs about the importance of freedom of the press and freedom of free speech are more important than having my picture and opinion published in the newspaper every week. Think about that the next time you read a story from the Union Leader.

Regardless of where or how you choose to get your news, it’s important to understand the source and the influences involved. In today’s world, there are countless ways you can consume content and it’s critical to recognize the bias that comes along with each of those sources.

If you’re watching news on TV, there’s a good chance there’s a very significant bias associated with every story. If you get your news from social media, I’d suggest questioning everything and doing due diligence before you talk about it and look like a buffoon, like my family member who said it was the truck’s fault fourteen innocent people died in New Orleans. 

There’s a famous saying, “Trust but verify”. The way news is disseminated today, I’d suggest questioning everything you read and watch.

I consider myself fortunate to have a platform to speak openly and without influence from anyone. It’s rare and if you’re reading this, you should be as thankful as I am that what you’re reading has not been influenced by anyone, aside from me, in any way. Uninfluenced and unedited sources of news and opinion is almost unheard of these days. Never forget that.