Blogging is part of the media. In particular, the criticism of. I was reminded of this in an article from Aleteia. In comparing how the media treats Donald Trump and the Pope, four observations were deduced:
1) Character assassination. Anyone in the public eye is open to criticism. That goes for their families. Even their dead relatives! "His father made a living being a slum landlord." "His father was a fascist sympathizer."
Believe me. I am nothing like anyone else in my family. I have made my own choices and have become what I am. Isn't that true of you, also?
2) Partial information. IOW, cherry-picking. People don't give the entire story, just the words that prove their point--which probably are not proved if the whole story is considered.
3) Negative and harsh spin. The pope used a term that had everyone googling, coprophilia.
Disgusting, isn't it? But that caught the public's interest and the media knows it and goes for it.
4) Bad news is good news. What I mean by that is that any news is news, whether it's bad or good. As long as the news keep you in the headlines. This reminds me of my teaching days. Children who are constantly misbehaving are craving for attention. It doesn't matter that the attention is negative, as long as someone is paying attention to them.
People need to realize these four observations when they see and hear the news. Everything is not everything. Look at the source. Look at other sources. If you follow conservative outlets, check out a liberal one. Don't just rely on one source thinking that it is in the middle. It's not; it's made up of fallible people. You think it's fair and impartial because they are reinforcing your own biases, even though you think you don't have any. That is an affront to truth.
Remember Thomas Aquinas didn't just read Augustine. He also read Avicenna, Maimonides, Plato, Averroes, etc.
1) Character assassination. Anyone in the public eye is open to criticism. That goes for their families. Even their dead relatives! "His father made a living being a slum landlord." "His father was a fascist sympathizer."
Believe me. I am nothing like anyone else in my family. I have made my own choices and have become what I am. Isn't that true of you, also?
2) Partial information. IOW, cherry-picking. People don't give the entire story, just the words that prove their point--which probably are not proved if the whole story is considered.
3) Negative and harsh spin. The pope used a term that had everyone googling, coprophilia.
Disgusting, isn't it? But that caught the public's interest and the media knows it and goes for it.
4) Bad news is good news. What I mean by that is that any news is news, whether it's bad or good. As long as the news keep you in the headlines. This reminds me of my teaching days. Children who are constantly misbehaving are craving for attention. It doesn't matter that the attention is negative, as long as someone is paying attention to them.
People need to realize these four observations when they see and hear the news. Everything is not everything. Look at the source. Look at other sources. If you follow conservative outlets, check out a liberal one. Don't just rely on one source thinking that it is in the middle. It's not; it's made up of fallible people. You think it's fair and impartial because they are reinforcing your own biases, even though you think you don't have any. That is an affront to truth.
Remember Thomas Aquinas didn't just read Augustine. He also read Avicenna, Maimonides, Plato, Averroes, etc.
