Monday, October 5, 2015

Obligatory 10.5.15--- News v. Truth

Have you noticed that more people are interested in causes than truth?   People seem driven towards causes.  That  could be the case even if the cause isn't truth itself.

Something like that is what the late Ben Bradlee seems to have noticed.  By the way, Ben Bradlee was the editor of the Washington Post.  Bradlee said he wasn't interested in news, only causes.  Why would he say that?  It's business, that's why.

Now, in order for the Washington Post, or any newspaper to succeed, it must attract an audience.  If what Bradlee was saying was correct, and it must be, because the Post hired him as editor, then might one generalize that to be the case in general?  That is to say, that any "news" entity isn't going to be about news; rather, it is going to be about a cause of some kind.  It is necessary for success as a business entity.

But is a cause the truth itself?  Is a belief true?  People's causes become like their church.  You are going to believe in your cause, but what if your cause is wrong?  Generally speaking, people don't want their causes to be wrong.  They can't believe that their church is wrong.

What about the truth for its own sake?  If there is any cause for this blog, could it be that?

But that doesn't guarantee any success.  Otherwise, Ben Bradlee was wrong.

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