Before you can tell the truth, you need to know it.
For our second part of the series on truth in media I think it’s important that we define the term. Truth is multifaceted and largely determined by perspective. This is a crucial understanding of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity , which says what you perceive from where you stand may not jive with the perception of someone standing right next to you. Media, from the beginnings of the oral tradition to mass media of the 20th century was designed to create a common perspective for large groups of people and take away some of the debate over what is true. The media of the of the 20th century was controlled by a relatively few corporations and individuals and reached millions of people. That made it possible to maintain a certain control over a specific message and establish a few facets of truth as common to the masses. This was the basis of McLuhan ’s concept of the “media is the message.” Large groups of people could be convinced of a particular facet of...