As a member of “the media”, the phrase, “The Media is lying to you” is very confusing.

Which medias? Hmm?

First of all, this is an extreme assumption that all news you take in is a lie. I would like to remind those people who are saying this that you, as a consumer, control how you receive your news. People choose what they can or cannot consume.

The relationship between a news source and its audience is very much two-way. There are a few  things that prove this.

In order for someone to be able to consume news, they have to seek it out first. News entities rely on the fact that people would like to know what is going on in the world.

Secondly, there are many definitions of the word “media.” I would like to clarify a few things here. Not all media is news.

You see, some platforms have a disclaimer and customers don’t even realize it. Several medias describe what kind of platform they are on their about page. If that about page does not mention news at all, it is not a news platform. If it describes itself as an “entertainment platform,” that is not news. More than likely, if you see that phrase anywhere on a website, show or magazine, it is solely based on observant opinion.

The same thing goes for social media. They are not described as news providers. In fact, social media is exactly like it sounds. It is a place where people can share and socialize. That does not make it news.

Another way to tell if you are reading news or opinion is to look out for key phrases, such as “I think,” “we believe,” “this could be,” “as a nation,” “begs the question,” etc.

The worst is when someone quotes the “data” but doesn’t say where they got that data. How are we to know that this data is in fact factual? If it is a true news platform, the data should be attributed or be given credit.

While this article is an opinion piece, the facts included do come from my Media Ethics and Law class that I passed at University of New Mexico in 2021.

To end this rant, I will say as a member of the media that people like to say is lying to them, please do your research before you jump to any conclusions. Find out what your news source actually is. Find out who owns them. Are they a corporation or a small business? These are all important things to find out when researching your news source.