Fact, Fun and Fiction

A highly respected business associate once told me to not use the word ‘lie’ as it was too strong a word.  This person further suggested I take responsibility for my understanding of the situation.  Perhaps saying “I may have misunderstood what was said” would be a kinder, gentler version.

I have thought about the way in which we express our thoughts and how others hear our words.  It seems that our choices are dependent on both our perception of the situation and our personality.

Telephone, a once popular game played as a party icebreaker exemplifies our hearing and speaking quirks. The game begins with the host whispering a secret to one person who in turn passes the secret to the next.  The game continues till the secret is shared with the last person.   The last person then reveals the secret.  To the amusement of all, the result is often quite different than what the first person whispered.  

But what happens when we play Telephone with real life stories?  Let’s play Telephone with the following analogy.

A brief request appeared in a local church bulletin.  A member, Bob Farmer, tripped, twisted his ankle and in the process hit his head on his computer monitor.  Would anyone be willing to help tend his garden for a few weeks till he recovered?

Within a few days, Bob’s friends had all volunteered to help.  In the process they also had some fun with the situation when they met for coffee at the local café.  “Did you hear what happened to Bob Farmer?” one asked.  Of course, everyone already knew. Still, for entertainment value, one responded “No, what happened?”  After the well-known anticipatory pause, the punchline was delivered.  “Bill fell on his computer monitor and now we can call him the Farmer in the Dell”.   

A reporter for the local TV station sat nearby.  He was short on material for the evening news.  Without knowing all the facts, he hurried back to the station and wrote a quick fill-in story remembering what he heard.   That evening, the newscaster delivered the following: “A local farmer had a mishap this past week.  He broke his ankle and injured his head as he stumbled into the monitor of his nearby computer.  His neighbors and friends have come to his aid by helping with chores around his place”.

Affiliated tv stations being what they are, the short filler was picked up and aired on a high-profile cable news channel based in New York.  In the background shot was a stock photo of an unidentifiable person with a well bandaged head, lying in what is presumably a hospital bed.  The anchor, with a shocked expression, related the story.  “A farmer in Iowa recently suffered severe head injuries when he hit his head on his Dell computer monitor.  Sources close to the family say it will be several weeks before he recovers.  His expenses could escalate as he is relying on others to help with his crops.  We have been told that he will be suing Dell.  This will be a blow to the already cash-strapped computer manufacturer.  Some people say that this may trigger a complete recall of Dell monitors.  In a further development, most people think the farmer is entitled to a large settlement.’

Well, we could just leave it at that and say “WOW”.   We have moved from fact, to fun, to fiction in a very short time.  Bob Farmer became a celebrity by tripping on a rug and asking for help picking his cucumbers.  Dell doesn’t know Bob Farmer. Dell only knows their sales are plummeting.  Lawyers are calling hospitals in Iowa looking for a farmer with a bump on his head.   Bob’s friends at the coffee shop are discussing how much they should be paid to pick the zucchini crop.  

The anchor is not relating ‘fake news’.  The anchor is not even relating a human-interest story.   The listener is not misunderstanding what is being said.   What is being said by the anchor and what the listener is hearing is a lie.

Webster offers many definitions for the word “lie”.  However, one is very clear.  It defines the verb as making an untrue statement with the intent to deceive.    Calling it misleading information or fake news is allowing, and possibly encouraging the purveyors to continue to spew more lies.  

How can we recognize that these headline stories are simply not true?  In reading the anchor’s rendition of the story, there are some key phrases that stand out.  They are all too familiar.

First, the non-verbal cue that sets the tone is the image flashed on the screen.  Images are powerful tools.  An image of a clearly injured person is designed to draw the listener in (emotionally) before the anchor utters his first word.  Let’s keep in mind that the image depicts an unrecognizable individual who remains anonymous to the viewer. Still, most of us might believe it’s the farmer.  Then, we get to the heart of the broadcast.   The term “sources close to the family” should be a red flag to all of us, triggering us to wonder as to the identity of the sources.   Followed by “we have been told” the red flag waves again.  Then, the often used “some people say” and the red flag is nearly worn out…. but not quite.  We still get to hear the phrase “most people think”.     Never, can we state with any certainty what another person is thinking.      

We have a newscast full of vague information, no discernable corroborators, and assumptive statements.  Our perception and personality tossed with lack of time and a dash of desire to trust make for a deceptive salad.  Our only recourse is to dress our salad with a well-mixed version of thinking.  Deliberate thinking causes us to question the source of the story, check the validity of the news outlet, verify the links, look for questionable quotes and photos, look for any bias of the news outlet and/or sources, and verify that other news outlets are reporting the story.  

A lie, a concentrated effort to deceive, cannot go un-noticed or a liar, placated. When facts are overlooked and a story turns into an un-substantiated biased report, we have a lie.   If we choose to ignore the lie or the perpetrator, we become complicit in the lie.  George Orwell once wrote “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”.  If there’s any truth in his observation, then I propose we all become revolutionaries.  

Like the game of Telephone, a lie starts out with a simple story.  Adding thoughtless and false information turns simple and humorous into careless and possibly, deliberately harmful.  

Bob Farmer and I hope you’ve enjoyed our simple story---fact, fun and/or fiction?