Twenty years ago would you have read an article about how Christians should consume news? Not likely. There were discussions about movies, TV, and other entertainment where portrayals of sex and violence called for discernment. But news was news, right? Much has changed.
I grew up in a newsy environment–two newspaper subscriptions, usually a news magazine or two. Dinner was rarely on the table before the 6 PM local news or 6:30 PM world news provided conversational grist.
All this was before cable TV, the rise of the 24-hour news service, and before the cell phone tethered us to the non-stop buzz of social media.
You’ll often hear the label “mainstream media,” but the mainstream has been one of many streams for decades now. Back in my newsy world of childhood there was a mainstream media of three TV networks. The proliferation of news media outlets, the surprising rise of talk radio, and social media render the term “mainstream” misleading.
Most people can find an all too comfortable information niche that is just about as powerful and influential as anyone else’s. But are we hearing only what we want to hear?
Information literacy is about learning to slow down and think carefully about how something…came to be.
Information literacy is an unfamiliar term for most people, but it is a critical subject–one that can be studied and learned. What is data? What is information? How does data turn into information and then knowledge? What is knowledge, and how does it turn into wisdom?
Librarians (I’m one of those) help steer people from one level to the next. In our fast-paced electronic world it is easy to miss the jump between levels. Data begins with selection. We are already making choices based on our values when we collect data.
When we assemble data into information we hope to create knowledge. Knowledge, of course, isn’t everything. The knowledgeable person can still be foolish. Sometimes we are overly critical–cynical about information. But sometimes we aren’t critical enough. We’re gullible.
Information literacy is about learning to slow down and think carefully about how something like a news article, a Facebook meme, post, or Tweet came to be. Is it right? Half right? Deceptive? False? An opinion?
With news media we are usually jumping in at the level of information. Raw data has been processed and applied. You might or might not see the data. If you read from a news-gathering agency, then you are seeing information in most cases. If you are reading a column or listening to an analysis, so-called opinion media, you are going to have to evaluate what purports to be knowledge. If you are looking to a leader for a perspective, then you are considering their wisdom (or lack of it).
Thorny questions arise when we consider the step from information to knowledge. If you’re old enough, you might have noticed that Facebook in the past five years or so has frequently degenerated to the reposting of memes, alarming and belligerent “information” posing as news. This will not lead you to helpful knowledge.
I don’t think believers should be a part of this. Most of the memes and repostings are filled with half-truths at best, and their tone must clearly grieve the Holy Spirit. I marvel that so many Christians seem to have no concern about committing the sin of false witness while expressing both a lack of love and humility on social media.
A damaging tongue, or shall we say keyboard, clearly puts us on the wrong side of the Bible. The words of Jesus are clear enough. What we post online will be shouted from the rooftops (Luke 12:3). James tells us how the uncontrollable keyboard ignites great conflagrations (James 3:5). Proverbs 15:2 says that a wise Tweet adorns knowledge, but the shared meme of the fool gushes folly.
What happens to unbelievers, wounded souls, fellow sinners whom we threaten and punch in the face with politics and culture war memes on social media?
My free pastoral advice is to step back, take your time, evaluate sources and claims, consider the damage you might do. Consider if silence wouldn’t be better. Think about what a different approach might achieve. “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
One Response
You are correct. If you have not read the book “How the News Makes Us Dumb” you will find it interesting. It was writing awhile ago, but presents a valuable viewpoint. My opinion is that we should limit “news” to less then 15 minutes per week. Thanks for taking the time to write the article.