In this era of propaganda outlets masquerading as news channels, government spokespeople spouting alternative facts, and politicians passing off their party's daily talking points as original thoughts, it's no wonder most Americans are frustrated and confused.
I grew up in the era of LBJ and Vietnam, followed by Nixon and Watergate. I had access to a few daily newspapers. The stories were written by local reporters. Commentaries were clearly labeled as opinion on the editorial pages. Often, opposing views were presented side by side. Weekly news magazines like Newsweek and Time added context. Out of necessity, their stories were a few days old, and writers had extra time to organize their thoughts before rushing their words into print.
I also had a choice of daily TV newscasts. The content and quality differed on the local channels and national networks, but after watching and reading these sources, I felt like I was well-informed.
Viewers and readers didn't always like what they saw, but since the newsmakers were quoted verbatim, no one was whining about “fake news,” a term which had not yet been coined. Plus, just like today, when a president, a senator, or any prominent figure spoke, we saw that person's lips move, and we heard the words come out of their mouth. We could believe our own eyes and ears. Oh, what a quaint, innocent time.
There were no social media sites with “bots” programmed to sway our opinion; no artificial intelligence to create images, actions and voices that don't really exist; and no way for a political extremist to create a national movement out of his mom's basement.
Today's journalists will get stopped in the produce aisle by someone who has been sucked into the swirling vortex of “what I saw on the news.” “Hey,” they'll say, “yesterday y'all said that Senator Ripsnort wanted to cut funding to food banks and use that money to build more cages for rooster fights. Why are y'all making him look bad?”
“Well,” we reply calmly, "we reported it because he spoke to all the major news outlets, and they have his comments on audio and video, witnessed in person by many people.”
Case closed, right? Wrong. This is 2025. “Hold on,” the man says. “I was listening to the Papa Duck and Big Bad Bubba podcast, which is like the news, and they said the senator was taken out of context. Y'all need to play his entire speech!”
Ah yes, those podcasters, radio hosts, and other stars of YouTube and TikTok, and the ultra-political Facebook memes shared by uncles, grannies and co-workers. Their combined audience far outweighs that of the Walter Cronkites and David Brinkleys of the pre-"fake news" era.
Do we need to go back and listen to full, hour-long speeches from decades ago to make sure our past leaders weren't taken out of context? When President Franklin D. Roosevelt confidently assured Americans, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself,” was he just being sarcastic? That's a frequent excuse for some modern-day politicians.
President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech included the oft-quoted line, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country!” We were told at the time that this was a call for public service. No doubt if a leader said that today, half the country would insist, “He was only joking.”
I'm glad the internet and its social media influencers were not around when President Ronald Reagan said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987. Within minutes, some cable TV pretend newsperson would be walking this one back. “The president says a lot of things,” we would be told. “He may have been talking about some other wall, not necessarily the Berlin Wall. Fake news will take him out of context.”
Here's my unsolicited advice to politicians at every level of government. Say only what you mean, and mean what you say. No jokes, no sarcasm. Do that every time you speak, and you'll never have to worry about being taken out of context.
David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his latest book is "I Won't Be Your Escape Goat," available from his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. You may contact him at 900 Whitehall Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or at RadioTV2020@yahoo.com
