A Christmas message from Ben Swann: Friends, The most difficult part of journalism in our current culture is Americas truth deficiency. What is truth deficiency? As I have traveled the country for the past year speaking and sharing with groups about media and truth in our culture, I have reminded listeners that the group most responsible for that deficiency is not the right wing spin machine or left wing progressive talking points. The biggest problem is US. You and I are the problem with American media. You see, you and I dont go to media to be informed. We dont approach media with an open mind or ready to hear facts or even to get a glimpse of truth. Rather we turn to media for one simple function... to validate the belief system we already hold. When Fox News reports predictably on a story dealing with police protests or immigration or war, we as viewers are not turning to Fox to be informed. We turn to Fox because we already know what we believe on these subjects and the only purpose of Fox in our mind is to validate those beliefs. It happens with all media... it even happens here at Benswann. This Christmas I hope that in your conversations, family gatherings and time with loved ones, you will remember that there are NOT two sides to every story (a belief rooted in the left/right paradigm) but that there are many sides to every story. Those sides are not as simple as points of view, but those sides are usually represented by real people. Over the past few days I have been told repeatedly that I sponsor hate, that I do not control the behavior of commenters on my social network pages, that I lie and most of all that I get a rise of making people fight with each other. Nothing could be further from the truth. For those who know me, you know that the deepest desire of my heart is to stand up for people. All people. To defend the rights of people. All people. To never pit people against each other, rather to encourage humanity above all politics, all talking points, all media spin. Just as there are those who celebrate Christmas as not a holiday but a holy remembrance of Gods intervention for us, I hope that you will continue to stand as a voice and as a force of intervention into this world. There are plenty of forces attempting to pit people against each other and I stand in opposition to those forces, I hope you do too. Any voice, any media, any idea that robs people of dignity and lumps all people together into one group is not worthy of discourse. I would leave you with a scripture from Isaiah 59 which reminds us of why Gods intervention for us was necessary. Why that intervention is still necessary today: Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Ben Swann
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 13:47:38 +0000
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