Ruling News Through Misinformation
Misinformation has been running rampant in the 24/7 news cycle for decades, and with the advent of social media this has become only more apparent. Webster's dictionary defines misinformation as incorrect or misleading information. A recent example is the murder of former podcaster and political activist Charlie Kirk. Nearly two weeks later and the amount of misinformation coming from major media outlets has not only been constant but also damaging to the public's ability to wait for all the facts to come out.
Charlie Kirks alleged killer, a young man by the name of Tyler Robinson, was the source of widespread misinformation. Social media platforms were ablaze with people claiming to have info on Robinson without any supporting evidence. Some people wanted or expected him to be a registered republican while others assumed he was transgender and had a mental illness. Possibly to the disappointment of both groups, Tyler is a cis white male who is not a registered republican and has not voted in the last two presidential elections. People are quick to categorize people into groups and will use those identifiers to form their own opinions without waiting for all the facts and turn to hate.
Just last week, Historically Black colleges across the country were forced under lockdown for the safety of their students due to threats. While no reports have come out from officials clarifying why might these threats happened around the same time, their silence speaks volumes. Kirk was known to be a very divisive political commentator and was well embedded with the conservative movement. Unfortunately, there are those on both sides of the political sphere who are quick to anger and move in swiftly to make their opinions heard and, in some cases, take action. HBCs have a long and ugly history of being the targets of threats of violence especially in times of political strife, and this event is no different.
Meanwhile, a tragic shooting in Colardo took place the same day as Kirk's death. In response, major news outlets chose the latter on to focus on almost exclusively. Children being shot at and harmed compared to the death of a divisive and influential figure, at the end of the day the media goes towards the views and in turn, profit. Even now, weeks after both the assassination and school shooting, hardly a mention of the children, like it's just another tragedy we've come to expect as a country.
Security analysts flag rise in misinfo posts on social media following Kirk shooting
Historically Black colleges issue lockdown orders, cancel classes after receiving threats
The amount of misinformation available is astounding. What makes it worse is the rate of it being shared. And people believe it. That may be the worst part. Your example of the difference in coverage between the murder of Charlie Kirk and the murders of children in a school shooting. You're absolutely right. The media was so focused on Charlie Kirk that another school shooting was pushed aside.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that people will uses their own biases and prejudices to form opinions they believe to be fact. And even when the true facts arise, there are those who refuse to change their thinking because it doesn't align with what they believe.
Maybe one day we will get to the point where people base opinion on fact, and not bias.