COMMENTARY: New Ideas

Apr 10, 2017 at 01:24 pm by bryan


Back in the mid 18-hundreds, Alexis de Tocqueville said the only way people had of keeping track of what was happening in a nation as large as ours was through the news media. More from MTSU Professor of Journalism Dr. Larry Burris...

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In his day, he said it was newspapers that would provide the link between all of the various factions, ideologies and competing ideas making up the American experience.

Today that role is often played by the myriad of electronic sources: the Internet, Twitter, blogs and dozens of social networking sites. But unlike traditional journalism, in many cases there is no system of checks and balances on information. Anyone with something to say can say it, but that doesn't mean what they say has any real value.

So just like the maker of shoddy, imperfect goods will soon go out of business, the purveyors of shoddy, imperfect ideas and information will soon be seen for what they are, and their ideas will be relegated to the back of the mental closet, or to the far reaches of the intellectual storage shed.

Another complication, however, is today many people are confusing the medium with the message, particularly with the demise of several large newspapers. But just because some newspapers have gone out of business does not mean the craft and trade of journalism is any less important.

It's been said the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Well, the same thing could be said about all of the information, misinformation and distortions we have access to. The price of the free flow of information is also eternal vigilance.

But that doesn't mean we should do anything to prevent the spread of misinformation. Except to challenge it with correct information.

So while there may be nothing new under the sun, there are plenty of new things out there for each of us individually to explore. And the time to explore those ideas is now, before our minds become like concrete . . . all mixed up and permanently set.

Sections: News