Why are corporate media (ABC, CNN, FOX) and technology platforms (Twitter) not investigating and censoring the facts about the abuse of children?
You probably have noticed that the media and technology platforms show more interest in criticizing outrageous conspiracy theories but ignore obvious facts of illegal activities. For example, ABC News decided not to report about Jeffery Epstein years ago.
Many of these journalists have Ivy League educations. Because of that, do they think that we are we that stupid? Of course they do. But Americans are descent and well-intended people. We are diverse as a nation. We attempt to make sense of what is happening with often poor sources of facts, because we are overwhelmed with partisan opinions from corporate media. The role of journalist should be to gather facts, verify facts and accurately report facts.
When I studied Political Science as an undergraduate student at San Jose State University, I learned the difference between political narratives, journalism and scholarship. I learned in Political Philosophy that the “ends justify the means.” We read and seriously considered Machiavelli, the Italian philosopher, who was a big proponent of the devil. This may seem outrageous, but why was this even taught? I learned that according to this philosophy, lying was necessary.
In Political Philosophy, we spent a great deal of time reading Machiavelli and little time on Christian theology. Saint Thomas Aquinas, was scoffed at by my professors, while Plato was lauded. We read almost nothing about religion, but we were encouraged to reject these obviously irrelevant ideas. Is this open-minded? Is this objective?
In addition, I learned a great deal working for a presidential political campaign and from friends who also worked in government. For example, there is the story that government leaders and staff tell the public, and then there are the true hidden political objectives.
The hidden agenda is directly related to money and power. Political donors are given enormous influence. Powerful interests are able to keep facts from being reported by corporate media outlets and censored by technology platforms. In 1987, I wrote a paper about the influence of money in politics. My professor told me that political contributions were not important, because her favorite political party controlled the government. If this is the case, what about the interests of everyday Americans? And, do our elected representatives actually represent us, the American people?
Often years later, we learn a great deal about the hidden programs and initiatives of our leaders. Teapot Dome was an oil scandal from the 1920s. Senator Frank Church had hearings in the 1970s about the CIA murdering foreign leaders since the 1950s. The Iran Contra Scandal was about smuggling illegal drugs into the US and secretly arming rebels. Edward Snowden provided revelations about spying on US citizens by its own government.
Certainly, it is the role of scholars to collect facts and teach them to young students. My favorite history professor, Ed Norton, was a Native American History expert. He said the classroom was 50 years behind the research. I have found this remains an accurate assessment, except for a very rare teacher.
It is left to us to assess reality. We can dedicate ourselves to reality. This is how we achieve mental health. We can accept what we find or live in fantasy.
I trust my friends, family, work associates, and clients to inform me. When I witness some event, I trust what I see and hear. I find my spirituality helps me move toward objectivity.
This can be hard work and uncomfortable at times. Yet in this way, we are able to gain a more objective view of reality. This is one of our most valuable assets. It is the basis of our choices. This is where we experience authentic joy and peace.
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