Pants On Fire Analysis

Although many people may like to think of America as a honest and moral nation, it is no secret that artifice has cemented itself as an indispensable skill, exploited by many to achieve their own ambitions. Artifice, characterized through the usage of cunning devices or expedients to deceive others, is often utilized by politicians and organizations to help push their own agendas. As illustrated by Chris Hedges in his social commentary, Empire of Illusion, “artifice” has emerged to become so ubiquitous and essential throughout American society, whether in business or the entertainment industry. Essential, in the essence that without it, people in any industry are more likely to be disadvantaged in achieving their personal goals. In today’s modern world, no area has seen more abuse of artifice than in the field of media and politics. Its common knowledge that newspapers skew reports to their own biases and politicians often tell half-truths to cover-up ulterior motives. Unfortunately, these politicians and media giants hold extremely influential positions in society, and their usage of artifice is extremely damaging to the integrity and accountability within the United States. As a result, the press as well as the general populace must utilize free speech to expose this behavior. Despite the complete immorality of the usage of artifice, such chicanery remains essential for success in media and politics.

In the op-ed “Truth is in the Ear of the Beholder”, columnist Gregory Rodriguez explores the ways rumors form in accordance to our beliefs and anxieties, in order to bring light to society’s hypocritical and biased acceptance or rejection of rumors and conspiracy theories. Rodriguez argues that rumors only thrive in the minds of people who are willing to believe them. He then goes on to state that those who start rumors rely on the current beliefs and biases of their intentional audience.

In, “One Man’s Rumer I Another Man’s Reality, Gregory Rodriguez, an author of the Los Angeles Times he argues about the power of broadcasting the truth and its effect on the people. As a result, “can false rumors and off-the-wall theories be corrected by broadcasting the truth” (Gregory Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2009)?

The perpetuation of misinformation can be very difficult to correct and may have lasting effects even after it is discredited. For instance, if an audience is reliant on the information provided by the media to make an informative decision about a topic involving their morals, the validity of the author’s claims will determine the mass majority of their decisions they make in the future. As a result, false information may continue to influence beliefs and attitudes even after being debunked if it is not replaced by an alternate causal explanation.

In “Colleges Turn ‘Fake News’ Epidemic into a Teachable Moment” (Washington Post, April 6, 2017), Kitson Jazynka highlights professors from across the United States that have implemented different strategies for teaching students to find and address fake news. Jazynka first writes of professor Beth Jannery at George Mason University and how her students have had personal experience with fake news and how they handled the situation. In one case, the student decided to research the topic herself and find the truth. Jazynka advises that the professors cited in her article are teaching students to “detect bias, missing points of view, misleading slants and economic influences” to ensure they have a complete understanding of the articles and their

The star of the film is Pastor Becky Fischer, who explains the startling mission of her "Kids on Fire" camp: "I want young people to be as committed to laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are in Pakistan." At the camp, the children are asked: "How many of you want to be those who will give up your life for Jesus?" Little hands shoot up from every direction. They are told: "We have to break the power of the enemy over the government." At one point, Becky yells: "This means war! Are you a part of it or not?" More little hands.

The phrase “We are carrying the fire” is important in this book as it symbolizes many messages, one of these messages is hope. I feel that this is an important message because it is the thing that keeps the two going, even when times are tough. An example this is when they are running low on food, and the boy asks if they would ever need to eat other humans. The man reassures him that they would not eat anybody else, then goes on to explain how they are the good people and they are indeed carrying the fire. This was one of the first times this phrase was used in the book, and possibly also the most important. I feel that this is one of the most important because it also shows the man’s philosophy of life and how he feels that even though the

Being a minority and coming from a first generation immigrant family, it can be difficult to think about my future because of what I’ve grown up around. I acknowledge that i’m an intelligent woman, but my surroundings made achieving greater things feel strange, or like something I shouldn’t be striving for. In James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, the first letter My Dungeon Shook was aimed specifically for his nephew but is easily a message for people of color and really for anyone who is struggling with self doubt.

In recent presidential elections, exaggerations and lies have become normal even while access to truthful information is increasing through the internet. Fact checking these lies has become a standalone section of the news industry, and there are several websites and organizations devoted to simply going through and researching the validity of candidates’ statements. However, even though these organizations have been created and their findings have been publicized broadly, cross-party and blanketing exaggerations have continued from every candidate’s campaign in the 2016 primary election. This trend should be worrying for voters who want political integrity and honesty, because when lying becomes a primary campaign tactic, the candidates who get elected are unreliable.

For example, Donald Trump proudly stated that “any negative polls are fake news,” and constantly refers to mainstream media outlets as “fake news media.” To compound the effect, according to MSNBC, a leading Republican Congressman, Lamar Smith, advised Americans to get their news directly from the President because “it might be the only way to get the unvarnished truth.” The reason why undermining credibility of news media is so scary is that it reduces their ability to hold politicians accountable. With public’s trust in cable news plummeting (all-time low of 32% according to Gallup), more and more individuals are looking for alternative sources online, which makes them more susceptible to fake news, and so the vicious cycle

Denzel Washington, a critically acclaimed actor, had recently and famously stated, “If you don’t read the newspaper then you’re uninformed. If you do read it, then you’re misinformed.” The quote had derived from the recent incident including fake news about Denzel Washington endorsing Donald Trump. Bringing to light the idea of fake, manipulated, or biased information, it’s clear to see Denzel is not the only victim of such actions. Similarly, most

“If you don’t watch the news you're uninformed and if you do watch the news you're misinformed.” We as a society tend to believe whatever we see on the news or social media sites but with the outbreak of “fake news”, knowing how to differentiate a fake news story from a real one is critical in being a informed citizen. As Trump took the stage for his first State of the Union Address, all of America was listening very closely to hear what they wanted, rather that be a mistake or more reason to cheer him on. I examined four different media sources; The Advocate, The New York Times, Media Matters, and Twitter, in order to see how differently each source perceived what president Trump had to say based on a different motives. The news industry has a certain tactic being employed in order to appeal to their followers.

The issue of misrepresentation in the media

The recent surge in popularity of social media comes with a price: fake news. Fake news is defined as news or media that has been altered or modified. Journalists have begun to analyze why that fake news exists and why it continues exist. Two authors, Eoin O’Carroll and Kevin D. Williamson, both have written articles about fake news. Eoin O’Carroll’s article “How Information Overload Helps Spread Fake News,” discusses how the media has bombarded us with news stories, blurring the distinct lines between real and fake news. Kevin D. Williamson, a journalist for the National Review, writes in his article “‘Fake News, Media and Voters: Shared Reality Must Be Acknowledged” that the news is not fake; it just does not align with one’s personal beliefs. Both authors successfully appeal to their audiences’ emotions and feelings, but O’Carroll is more likely to succeed than Williamson in persuading his audience to try and combat fake news because the writer presents himself as someone the intended readers will more readily identify with and offers evidence that his readers will find more compelling.

Media surrounds us, it makes up a substantial part of our modern lives, and we rely on it for almost all of the information we encounter. There are two main types of news sites; corporate and independent. With corporate news we see things through a lens, whether it be for better or for worse. Facts can be twisted, information left out, and the truth made unclear. Independent news is usually more reliable for the whole truth, but this is not always the case. With independent news, we run the risk of reading news through the eyes of a single, possibly prejudiced writer, one who distorts the truth or has uncertain facts to begin with. For example, the recent event of the 2016 shooting in Louisiana and the response to protests can be used to provide a great display of how corporate and independent news sites differ. It can be used to show that certain news sites we and many others rely on can often be inaccurate and provide false information to the general populace to cover bureaucratic and private interest agendas, but can also be used to further personal knowledge and promote self-growth.