“Facts are the Enemy of Truth” – Don Quixote – Man of La Mancha

Valeria Santizo

vs178718@ohio.edu

It seems like people can say whatever they want these days. However, to solely blame our media system for fake news is irresponsible and takes away the responsibility of the audience. There needs to be more action on the part of consumers of the media to say no to fake news. It is our responsibility as citizens to demand fact checking, diverse opinions, and more representation in the newsroom. It is important for individuals to read entire stories instead of just a headline, or to do some fact checking on their own. It’s supply and demand, we need to demand more unbiased stories. With out the demand for fact checking we end up getting stories that paint victims in a bad light and unequal representation for individuals, mainly people of color.

Take for example the murder of Nia Wilson. Nia was waiting on the Bay Area Rapid Transit Station (BART) platform when she was stabbed to death by John Cowell.  There was no motivation for the vicious attack. When news channels covered the story there was one that got a lot of backlash for an image they displayed of Nia Wilson. Keep in mind Nia was only 18 years old and had a clean record, there was nothing to indicate she had a violent past. However, despite these facts the news channel, KTVU Fox 2, decided to display Nia Wilson holding what appeared to be a gun. The family members of Nia Wilson were very upset when they found this image all over social media because they felt it was painting their 18-year-old daughter as a violent person. After some fact checking it was addressed that the “gun” Nia was holding in the picture was nothing more than a phone case shaped as a gun. Had it not been for fact checking and Nia Wilson’s family taking action, KTVU Fox 2 would not have been held accountable.

Another example of the lack of fact checking the media does, was the murder of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon was visiting Sanford, Florida, where his father lived in a gated community.  Trayvon was walking to his father’s home after visiting a nearby convenience store. While walking back to his father’s home he noticed he was being followed by a man in a car. It was raining and Trayvon, a 17-year-old high school student, got spooked and started running for safety. During this time the man in the car, George Zimmerman, made a call to the non- emergency Stanford Police department. The person on the phone asked him to stop following Trayvon and dispatched police to the location. After the phone call, there was an altercation between Zimmerman and Martin that ended with Trayvon being shot multiple times. George Zimmerman was charged with manslaughter. However, during this trial the media showed stories of Trayvon having THC, the substance found in marijuana, in his system at the time of his death. They tried to paint a negative image of this adolescent claiming this is what lead to his altercation with George Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense during his trail. However, what the media did not mention is that, the amount of THC found in Martin’s system was so little it would have little to no effect on his behavior.

These are not the only people who have been affected by irresponsible reporting. There are countless people who instead of being treated as victims, were portrayed in a negative light. There is no doubt that the media is to blame for a lot of this. However, it is important to do our own fact checking and to hold institutions accountable for irresponsible reporting. We owe it to ourselves and to each other to demand equal representation for everyone, especially people of color that are still being marginalized. Therefore, facts are the enemy of truth because when we demand credible facts, the “truth” is seen for the lie it is.