LETTER: Discernment is needed to know what is the truth
Truth is most often used to mean “being in accord with fact or reality,” or fidelity to an original standard.
Where do we find it locally? Our best source is our local papers. Why? Reporters have the mission of getting the facts and editors verify those facts. When the facts are reported, if they find an error, they print a correction. Their accountability is to their customers/neighbors whom they serve. Newspapers usually state their source of information along with the person’s name or the group who reported the information. Letters to the editors are a good example. A writer must state who they are and are held accountable. When not, rebuttals must and do occur. I have found there are always three sides to all stories or points of view. Sorting for the truth or real facts requires work. If we lose our local papers, where will we find our local truth?
Most people have values and beliefs, along with life experiences that they hold as their standard. Some of us become so biased we go to war over others’ opinions. From my old tool bag, “Everyone has an opinion, verify the source.” Who are the honest ones and who are the deceivers?
The micro doses of information — such as TV, smartphones and computers — offer very limited information with little follow up.
Trust is very difficult for us to learn and requires good judgment and discernment. Trust must be earned an inch at a time, and can be lost in less than a minute by just one lie, half-truth, or total deception. Beware of half-truths — you know not what half you know.
— Richard Hess, Panama City Beach/Hudson, Wisconsin
To submit a letter to the editor, email pcnhletters@pcnh.com.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: LETTER: Discernment is needed to know what is the truth
