Words matter in journalism and all walks of life

“In the beginning was the word.” Words matter. They are the stuff of thought. They give shape to our identity, or memories, and our personality. Words float in the air as vibrations of sound, and as electrons via various media. Some we hear, some we read, some we hear, and some we speak. The world is resounding with words. In modern life we can scarcely find relief from them.

Before modern electronic media there were periods of silence. There were moments, even hours without words being introduced into our brains. There was time for internal dialogue. That is, of course, our thought process mulling over things we have heard, and making sense of them.

Kung Fu Tzu (Confucius) taught of the importance of “rectification of names.” He spoke in 500 BC about the importance of knowing the common definitions of the terms we are using. In fact, he stated that if we spend some time before a debate deciding what the terms of our arguments mean, many disagreements are resolved.

We don’t own our own particular definitions. Words have well-established definitions, but it takes effort to research them. What do the terms “conservative” and “liberal” mean? One has to separate the definitions from the emotional baggage attached to them by political ideologues and cable news spin experts.

Patrick Henry said, “We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of the siren till she transforms us into beasts.” Emotional attacks on real news as “fake news” or the existence of such a thing as “alternative facts” cast doubts on real journalism. We must insist that our news gatherers, while they may differ in perspective and interpretation, adore as closely as possible to the truthful facts of a news event. Words can be tools. People can use them in many different ways. Some negative uses are using words to denigrate, insult, mislead, lie, intimidate, hurt, and spread division and hate. With extremists, the main problem is not how best to present the truth, but how to manipulate news events to deceive readers/viewers into contributing money and power to their cause. Their messages are usually used in an aggressive manner, loudly and authoritatively. For those of the public that are uncertain and tentative it is comforting to hear the voice of authority, even if it clothes and disguises its authoritarian purposes. Humans live by beliefs, and beliefs can be manipulated by the skillful use of words. The moment we hand over our definition of reality to the internet, radio shock jocks, or a cable tv network manipulators, we are in danger of becoming slaves. As Gerald Barzan stated, “You don’t have to fool all the people all of the time; you just have to fool enough to get elected.”

When Charlie Brown asked Snoopy if he had a title for the book on theology he was writing, Snoopy replied that he has a great title. He typed, “Has It Ever Occurred to You That You Might Be Wrong?” That is not only great theology, but philosophy, and a practical guide to living. Certainty is a dead end. It takes words and weighs them down with concrete, making them static rather than dynamic. Doubt is the engine of faith, as much as, intellectual pursuits. Doubt leads to humility. Humility is the primary opponent of the arrogance of the will to power. Knowledge and truth are basic strengths of a democratic citizenry.

Socrates wrote, “False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.”

President Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Were it left up to me to decide whether we should have government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them.”

One of the tragedies of our time is the disappearance of many local newspapers. They not only inform the public, but are the training ground for real journalism. Real journalists go out and ferret out stories and check sources. They value words for the truth they can convey.

Too much of what passes for journalism today, is actors reading words scripted by special interests. Thank you Tribune-Phonograph. Keep the tradition of local journalism alive.

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