Things I Never Thought I’d Read in the News
FakeOp-ed by TheWiseOldFart
I’ve been ‘around’ for a long time. In 1963, I began reading
newspapers, not because I wanted to, because it was an assignment to read the
Los Angeles Times every day, and not just the sports section or the comics.
After the first week, I began to enjoy reading the stories, informing
me about what was happening in my city, my state, my country, and around the
world. I trusted the writers. I assumed they were telling the truth. For the
most part, they were.
My teacher told us that if we read the Los Angeles Examiner,
the content might be less truthful. This newspaper relied more on
sensationalism than the importance of who, what, why, when, where, and how.
That was then, this is, unfortunately, now.
The 21st century is often referred to as the “age
of information.” The truth is, there is too much information, and the great
majority of what is offered on legitimate news sources, biased publications,
and, most significantly, social media, are all too often intentionally
inaccurate and misleading.
After the 2016 “rigged” election, I promised myself that I
would never watch television news again. ABC, NBC, and CBS chose to cover Trump’s
campaign far more frequently than Hillary Clinton’s. During the primaries, the
least qualified presidential candidate in history received five-times more
coverage than all other candidates combined.
When Trump or a member of his ‘team’ was interviewed, every
fake journalist allowed them to avoid giving a direct answer to a direct
question.
I have kept that promise.
The mainstream media has failed to perform as intended.
Their stories are often incomplete, and rarely offer a follow-up article in the
days after the original broadcast. The “Fourth Estate” no longer exists. I
refuse to allow anyone to lie to me, and lies of omission are more serious and
cause more damage than blatant falsehoods.
Today, as I always do, I began my morning pursuing the latest
news online. What I found today was repetitious and far from informative. I
felt like I was reading one of the trashy publications offered customers at a
grocery store as they stand in line to pay for their purchases.
I’m ashamed of the fact that the pages of nearly every
online publication continue to offer stories about the murder of Charlie Kirk.
I am not suggesting that his death was not unacceptable, or that we should not be
concerned that the increase of gun violence in America is very serious.
However, he was not an important figure in my life, or yours. The truth be
told, he was not a good person and constantly made attempts to divide our
nation’s people. He constantly demeaned Black Americans, Hispanics, the LGBTQ
community, and anyone who failed to worship Trump and his vile plans for
America’s future. The press and right-wing politicians are portraying him to
have been a “saint.” For those fascists, he was.
The Governor of Utah openly displayed his support for the
radical right. He recently expressed his opinion about the man who killed Kirk.
“Spencer Cox said suspect had been ‘radicalized’ and was in
relationship with person transitioning from male to female.”
Cox made it completely clear that he has a less than favorable
opinion of all liberals and our progressive ideas. Like Trump, Cox is
regressive. And, like Trump, he is spreading anger, hatred, and violence across
America.
The other story comes from the first, of what are now many,
right-wing propaganda machines, Fox News.
“After shocking many by saying mentally ill homeless people
should be put to death, Fox News morning host Brian Kilmeade apologized on
Sunday for what he called an ‘extremely callous remark.’”
Kilmeade has always been a laughable pawn of right-wing
politicians. However, I find it almost unbelievable that such a vile opinion
was voiced by one of Fox’ “personalities” on live, national television.
There are many stories daily which do not deserve my or your
attention.
In its early days, television was referred to as “the boob
tube.” With the advent of “reality shows,” “nothing but fake news,” which are,
in reality, variety, entertainment broadcasts, and endless, irritating game
shows, that title applies perfectly to today’s offerings.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Follow my blog and be informed
Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/14/business/brian-kilmeade-fox-news-apology-homeless
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/14/charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-roommate
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