Do You Still Doubt That “Fake News” Is Real?

(Note: There are many clickable links in this article, although that may be hard to see)

       The mid-term election will soon be over.  And not a minute too soon.
      In my sixty years on this planet and the many elections that I have observed, I have never seen such acrimony, hate, distortion, vilification of the other side, and bald-faced lying for political gain as in this season.  And that includes the 2016 election, bad as it was.  I can only hope political discourse gets better from here, as I do not see how it could get much worse.  In particular, I was irked in the past week by several blatant examples of “fake news”.  Whether or not you are a fan of President Trump, it is hard to deny that he is right that the media is extremely biased, and attempts to shape the news, rather than just report it.  Here are some of the things that disturbed me.   I will not delve deeply into any of these examples here, as much has been written about each of them:

1. Deliberate distortion of the words of Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau שליט"א – In a particularly cynical and ugly way, reporters distorted Rabbi Lau’s words, which were clearly intended to say that the Pittsburgh tragedy is not the time to discuss what divides Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews, to say that the Rabbi refused to call the Tree of Life temple a synagogue.  Various activists and politicians seized upon this as an opportunity to vilify the Orthodox, and call for a change in Israeli policy towards the non-Orthodox movements
   
2. Deliberate distortion of the words of Rabbi Jeffrey Myers – Instead of reporting the unifying message of Rabbi Myers of Tree of Life, in which he called for unity and the removal of politics, CNN reporters attempted to have him blame President Trump for the attack and say that he was unwelcome.
   
3. Deliberate distortion in blaming President Trump for the attack -- President Trump’s immediate reaction to the Pittsburgh horror was dignified and supportive, while the media pile on hatred and blaming him for the massacre.  In general, the media have not given President Trump one moment to breathe since his election, continuing to foist false narratives to sow social discord and hatred of the President. In fact, just this week articles have come out decrying hundreds of anti-Semitic attacks committed in New York recently; NOT ONE by anyone associated with the “far right, or a Trump supporter.
   
4. Deliberate distortion of the Pittsburgh Jewish community’s response to President Trump – seizing upon the pathetic grasp for attention from one far left extremist group, media attempted to spread the lie that the Jewish community in Pittsburgh blamed him for the tragedy and that he was unwelcome there, when in fact his visit was welcomed and was well-received as being consoling and supportive.
   
5. Deliberate distortion of Vice President Pence’s invitation of a Messianic “rabbi” – Dozens of stories criticized VP Pence for the invitation, while it is clear that it was not Pence, but the idiot local congressional candidate Lena Epstein who had been delegated to find a local rabbi to offer a prayer at the event, p, but nevertheless "proved again" that Trump/Pence are really anti-Semites who are insensitive to the Jewish community, interested only in sending out “yet Another Dog Whistle To Evangelicals. (Never heard about so many dog whistles in the past.)

While in Israel,

1. Haaretz reporter  about the horrific death of a family of eight from Psagot insists that it not be referred to as a town but rather as an illegal settlement.
   
2. Endless reporting regarding the Israeli election, and spiteful and hurtful false accusations about opponents on all sides – Left/Right, Religious/Irreligious, Chareidi/Dati Leumi, Chareidi Brand A/Chareidi Brand B – that leaves any thinking person revolted and perplexed as to whether they can support ANY of them.

I just cannot go on with this.

The magnitude and extent of distorted and outright untrue stories published by the press – those entrusted with the sacred role of speaking truth to power – it is truly depressing.

      The magnitude and extent of distorted and outright untrue stories published by the press – those entrusted with the sacred role of speaking truth to power – it is truly depressing.
      One important takeaway from this is to be aware of how the many opinions are formed and to understand that people are not fully to blame if they have a distorted picture of the world.  I learned this lesson years ago when I would sometimes watch the television news in Israel.  I would see Israel TV reporting on a certain event that happened that day.  Then I would see Jordan TV reporting on what seemed to be a completely different event, as their recounting of the story and analysis was completely at odds with the Israeli version.   Similarly, when one gets most of their information from the Wall Street Journal and Fox news, they are being fed a completely different narrative of what are purported to be the same events from what the purveyor of the New York Times and ABC/NBC/CNN will receive.  It is no wonder that the two receivers of the conflicting reports will have completely different views and opinions about politics, ethics, and virtually all important current events.
      (Personally, I believe that Fox and the WSJ do try to provide more balanced coverage, and have both liberal and conservative voices in their reporting, although their pundits are heavily conservative.  But I know that those with a liberal bent will disagree with me.)

      Additionally, I reflect with sadness on how easy it is to get sucked into all the back and forth of these disputes, and how much time it takes away from more important things.  I think that it is vital that we educate ourselves on what is going on in the world, and important that we do our civic duty and vote with the best information we have.  But one has to set limits and make sure that the passion that is generated in this area does not steal away our time for Torah, family, and personal growth.
      Finally, it is evident that Truth is not easy to perceive nor decide upon.   In the Parshiyot we are about to read, much of the narrative revolves around our father Jacob, who is described often in the Rabbinic literature as the paragon of Emes/Truth.  תתן אמת ליעקב.  However, as it is well known, on a surface level Jacob seems anything but the man of Truth, conniving and plotting to fool Eisav, Lavan, Eisav again, Shechem . . . many have been troubled that not only is Jacob not criticized for this, but it held out as the man of truth.
      Much has been written on this topic (here, here, and here for example), and it is beyond the scope of this essay to discuss it properly.  But one thought that we can reflect on is that truth can be viewed from different perspectives.   Those who wish to distort the truth can find many ways to create situations such that the actions of those standing for the truth are characterized as being fraudulent.  It is difficult to find real truth in this ???? ????? (World of Deceit) , but one must try one’s best to ignore the distortions and recognize them for what they are, and align themselves with truth as best they can.

רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר, על שלושה דברים העולם קיים

 על הדין, על האמת, ועל השלום

By three things the world is sustained: Justice, Truth and Peace.  (Avot 1:18)

      Three values, intimately intertwined.  If there is no peace, and no justice, there will be little truth.  Let us hope that – this time – people will make accept that the elections have been run with justice, that they will seek to find avenues to get along in peace, and that more truth and less falsehood will emerge in the narratives going forward.