Going down the slippery slope

It’s hard to believe, but the holiday season is upon us again.

Well, actually it’s not hard to believe because there has been Christmas stuff in stores for three months now. I’m not sure how it came about that large retailers decided us lowly shoppers needed to know Christmas was coming even though we were shopping when it was 100 degrees in August.

But, alas, I guess they know more than me, which isn’t hard to believe. They have large corporations and I have headaches.

I’ve written a lot of “bah humbug” columns over the years, mainly because the holidays are not something I really look forward to or even enjoy for that matter.

Now, you say, the theories are all right: this newspaper guy is actually Scrooge and now he’s admitting it in black and white!

Well, if that’s how you think, I’m fine with it.

But the truth is, I’m of the opinion it shouldn’t take holidays to make us cheerful and nice to each other. Shouldn’t we be doing that each day as good humans?

Even though some think I am this crusted old guy with a keyboard and an attitude, in reality I’m a crusted old guy with a keyboard, attitude and a desire to be a good citizen and assist the community in any way possible.

I was talking with someone recently about certain “rumors” I have been hearing that are allegedly coming from certain local elected officials berating me and accusing me of doing nothing but sensationalizing the news.

Full stop.

First, when we report the news, we don’t do the talking. We report about the talking done by the elected officials and others. It is not our fault if they say things the public perceives as out of touch or foolish.

As my friend said, it’s always easy to blame the messenger instead of looking in the mirror and thinking about what you actually said. Though I know all of that, it is good to hear it from others because even an old crusted guy has feelings. Generally.

None of that, however, stops the mission. In fact, in this day and age, the mission is even more important than it has ever been in my 40-plus years in journalism. The misinformation and gullibility of those who take as gospel what they see on Facebook makes the mission that important.

I hate to be Debbie Downer (or Karen), but just because you see something on Facebook does not mean it is true. Now I know that is shocking news to some, but trust me on this one. Or not.

There is little doubt in my mind the current political climate and the one that has been in place for nearly a decade now is leading to this slippery slope. Anyone with a keyboard and an attitude can say anything they want about any subject.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ll not find a stronger defender of the First Amendment than me. It has been my life’s work and continues to be the top priority each time I make an editorial decision.

That’s why it is so frustrating these days to defend those who simply lie to the public — and know they are lying.

I found a great example of this last week as the votes were still being tabulated in California and there were two races that were razor-thin that had yet to be called.

There were people in Washington, D.C., who were screaming “voter fraud.” Yet the candidates themselves were saying there is absolutely no evidence of this.

Yes, all were frustrated about how long it takes to count votes in California. I don’t know anyone who isn’t frustrated about that, however, that doesn’t mean there is something nefarious happening. Rather, it means it takes a long time to count the votes in California.

How ironic that people within the same political realm were on opposite sides of this entire ridiculous “fraud” accusation. But the telling point was the people running in California were the ones saying it just takes a long time to count the votes; the geniuses in Washington were just trying to stir the pot and invoke anger.

That is why this particular incidence is so telling of how misinformation streams out freely and trying to debunk it becomes an exercise in futility. This is especially true when it comes to misinformation coming from those in power because they are supposed to be respected and what they say matters.

But once the cat is out of the bag, it’s hard to round it up and stuff it back in.

Back in the day when I first broke into this business, people actually had to do research at this mystical place called a library using this mystical thing called an encyclopedia. And you had to make phone calls and (gasp!) write letters to uncover details and hard facts.

Now, just Google it; facts or not.

I realize I have been on this tangent a time or two or a million, but it’s something so near and dear to my heart I just can’t seem to let it go.

And why would I?

As the keeper of history for this county, it is our duty to inform the public as best as we can with the most timely and accurate information possible. That sure sounds like a reasonable task to me, but there are days …

This is the quandary I find myself in both as a journalist and a human. I agree that technology has been a wonderful thing in our lives. It has allowed me to be able to do a weekly radio show with relative ease. Finding directions and looking up biographies doesn’t take one of the oldfangled encyclopedias.

(I do continue to hold out hope though, because the other day I saw Madison actually pick up and use a phone book. You know what those are, right?)

On the other side of the coin, there is so much misinformation out there that it takes actual research and reasoning to figure out what is true. And trust me, there is just one set of facts.

Wait, didn’t I start this out with the holidays?

Oh yea, I guess I did.

And maybe it’s the holidays that get my blood all up in a tizzy, not because of turkey or presents, but because of the inevitable disagreements and arguing that comes along with holiday gatherings.

Hey, that was a pretty good transition from rambling to holidays, huh?

I’ve been reading a bit (full disclosure: on my news app) about the upcoming holidays and getting a chuckle from advice columnists who coach people on how to handle “that” uncle. The suggestions are all over the place. The best one I saw was to just not invite that uncle to dinner.

That might sound harsh, but sometimes it gets to that point. And not just at the holidays.

Hey, another point about the holidays!

As a staunch defender of a free press and journalism in general, every day is a holiday as far as I am concerned. We need to be celebrating the truth, no matter how hard it may be to handle.

I’ve seen a lot of that lately, too.

But, alas, I am reaching the end of what is generally the space I allot myself to ramble on in these weekly diatribes. Though I am the editor, even I know I have limits, as do the readers who say enough is enough.

With that, I wish everyone a great holiday season.

And that is the truth.

Just Google it.

Greg Little is editor of the Mariposa Gazette and can be reached at greg@mariposagazette.com