With so Many Political Experts, Who is Really Reliable?

With the increasing use of the Internet and social network sites, we have gone from opinions to experts in a short period of time. Catch phrases and political terms like conservative, liberal, etc. have been twisted into so many meanings. How does one even begin to swim through all of this mess to gain even a bit of insight as to who is really trying to help the majority of the people?

One thing you be wary of is when you read sentences that spout words like "they say" or "it is well known" or outright thoughts without a resource for you to go to from mainstream and well recognized source. If you see figures without a link directly associated, be cautious! This is not to say that this is absolute, but that it is one thing to be wary of.

If the article is from someone with a title of political nature, such as a website, group name or something that you don't recognize, keep in mind the source of who is talking. If a writer's title has a political name directly in it, such as conservative or liberal, definitely consider the source. Do you go to a car dealer and talk to a consumer advocate or a car salesperson?

When we all heard and read everything about Walter Cronkite and how he was the most trusted news person in America, the reasons were that everyone talking about him called him a true journalist, in the best sense of the word.

The Merriam-Webster on-line Dictionary defines journalism as:

1 a: the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media b: the public press c: an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium2 a: writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine b: writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation

Somewhere over the last decade, for the sake of ratings, advertisers and competition, nearly all news media has become a blend of reporting and editorial-ism and more recently, topped with a huge amount of sensationalism. News has blended into a inquirer and entertainment media resource. Very often, even similar graphics, logos and sound effects are used to the point where you really don't know what TV program is on!

Editorial Opinion: - These things are not necessarily all bad, except that they require more judgment and research on the side of the viewer or reader. We all need to always consider the source of reporting and think of why they are saying what they are saying. Most of all, always stay on the side of caution.

If you really want to make the best judgment of what you read and see, first do research by going to more than one or two sources that you know would be mostly legitimate and from both sides of the issue or subject matter. Next, contact your local congressional representatives and directly ask their opinions about the issues.

These are not full proof to obtain unbiased information but the point is to not be fooled. As soon as you read something and spin it directly out as fact to someone else, you are setting yourself up to be called a fool or unreliable. Our country is becoming divided and full of bias as anyone with a controversial opinion becomes the center of attention and reporting, whether they are a reliable source or not.

Remember the saying, "the squeakiest wheel gets the most attention"? Beware of the squeaky wheel!