It’s all over the news. It’s about people and events in the news. It’s about the news itself and how we get it. Exalted and maligned, beacon of truth and perpetrator of lies. In the 24/7, money/power-influenced, free-for-all world of media – both traditional and the wild, wooly internet – we’re bombarded with “fact-laden news” that is often moderately to totally false. We endorse the false information when we innocently share it with others (as I see several times a week on Facebook).

When news seems empirical, I become skeptical, regardless of the source. These times, perhaps more than any other, demand that all of us be skeptical first, inquisitive next and willing to challenge our preconceived notions before passing judgment on what we perceive as “truth”.

We can learn a lot about liars and the media from fiction and non-fiction literature. Go back to the Bible to see the original liar: Satan. Such an interesting character, he continues to appear throughout history in various forms and with all manner of motivation. You’ll find other memorable, usually seductive, liars in such enduring literature as:

The Tempest – Shakespeare (Prospero)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis (Edmund)
The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jay Gatsby)
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (Mr. Darcy)

Now I come to media and our response to it. The recently released movie, Spotlight, like the 1976 movie, All the President’s Men, started as a series of newspaper articles that became bestselling non-fiction books and acclaimed movies. They show news media at their best, when information was verified and facts beat out financial interests. Yet even in the good old days, news had the potential to be manipulated and the power to create chaos. The journals of James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) complain about newspapers misreporting the run-up to the Civil War. You’ll find similar accusations lodged against the media relating to the Spanish American War, Vietnam War and Iraq War.

We can’t stop false news but we can stop falling for it or passing it along by understanding how the media really work. These books will enlighten you and arm you against naivete:

The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism – Upton Sinclair
The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America — Daniel J. Boorstin
Between Fact and Fiction – Edward J. Epstein
It’s Not News, It’s Fark: How Mass Media Tries to Pass Off Crap As News — Drew Curtis

Entertainment doesn’t rely on facts but making wise choices does. Understanding the difference, in the “news” that is fed to us 24/7 in all media formats, will keep the liars at bay.