Once when my dad expressed some skepticism at something I had said, I defended myself with, “Dad, I read it in the paper.” To which he glibly replied, “Paper lies still. You can put anything on it.”
I was about fourteen, old enough to know that Dad didn’t make that up on the spot. It was an old saw that he had heard years before, maybe from my grandfather. The saying is not cynical, just realistic.
At that time, everyone took “the paper,” and many read every word. It was “news,” and kept us up with the world. Print journalists were reporters and feature story writers, whose work was researched and presented as simple fact. To get a story wrong was a great insult.
But page two of section two was the “Editorial Page,” where you knew you would find, not news, but commentary on the news, from both the editorial staff of the paper and readers’ letters to the editor.
Today that line has been blurred in both print and broadcast media. News anchors and reporters no longer are just giving facts, and much that passes for news sounds just like the old editorial page. Opinion has hijacked journalism, which now bludgeons as much as informs.
Why should Christians care? Because truth is everything. Jesus said He was “the Truth.” “Thou shalt not bear false witness” is one of the Ten Commandments. And among the most condemned groups in the Old Testament Scriptures are the false prophets. Deuteronomy 18:20
It’s sad to see believers abandon truth for narratives they never fact check. The Press, the “Fourth Estate,” should be holding politicians accountable, not doing their bidding, and certainly not covering up their lies and misdeeds by neglecting to cover key stories.
A lying tongue and a false witness (Proverbs 6:16-19) are two of the seven things the Lord hates. A lying pen, keyboard, or microphone can’t be far behind. Please be careful what you read and even more, what you believe. It matters, for you, our nation, and God’s Kingdom.
“Father, we rejoice that you can not lie, and that you love to keep your promises. Help us be discerning and not naively accept an unproven narrative. Grant us the grace to be wise as serpents, but gentle as doves. In Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”