There was a time I used to trust everything I hear in the news. Then, I dare not joke with NTA Network News at 9. With news covering virtually every part of the country, it was inconceivable for me to think someone somewhere has the ability to actually manipulate and control the information we are being fed. Yes, I had full confidence in what those dudes broadcasted. I watched the network news so much that I knew the name of every one of their broadcasters offhand.
However, those were the days of old. These days, I barely tune in to watch the news. Though Channels TV has grown in leaps and bounds since their debut, I've stopped taking them for their words since I noticed they are also politicizing what they feed the masses. Despite that, I still rely on them for creditable information especially during the election periods.
Considering what has happened in recent times, only a slowpoke will believe everything that is being said in the news media these days. The first time I realized the ability of the media to sabotage information was during a political battle in my home state. The incumbent governor was reelected but his opponent never gave up. The case was directed to the tribunal.
Politics being politics, some pacts were agreed upon. Due to that, a political bigwig from another party allegedly supported the defeated governorship candidate. The case was sorted in the tribunal and after about three years, the defeated candidate finally won his mandate. The sitting governor was removed.
Now, one of the things the political godfather from the other party used to support the defeated candidate during the tribunal was a radio station in the state. The radio station did a wonderful job of attacking the sitting governor while making the defeated candidate look like the Messiah the state needed.
With hunger and inflation ravaging the land at that time, the citizens of the state started clamouring for the defeated governor. The radio station helped sway the people towards his side; they helped him gain the full support of the masses while denouncing the sitting governor.
Though the opinion of the masses is not enough to win a court case, their appearance in large numbers at the court ground during hearings was intimidating.
The governor was unseated; the masses rejoiced.
About two years later, I woke up one early morning and switched on my radio only to hear the new governor being slandered by the same radio station. I was confused.
Why would this radio station attack a man they worked assiduously to help become the governor?
I asked around and was told immediately the candidate became the governor, he reneged on the agreement he had with the political godfather. And the godfather decided to punish the governor for his mischievousness. That was the first time I realized the rich and powerful can control what they want the masses to hear and whatnot.
We live in a world of propaganda and cruises. The former Minister of Information in my country told so many lies during press conferences that people no longer believed his truth. If someone assigned to pass credible information to the masses was found to be a chronic liar when facing the camera, imagine the amount of lies he will tell, the amount of manipulations he will engineer when no one is watching.
The fact remains that everything we need to know is not made accessible to us. Those in government tell lies; it is their second nature. The local television of a particular state only broadcasts information that paints the governor in a good light. If the workers dare to get patriotic and push the narrative, they will get punished for it. There is no freedom of press; it's only a phrase to deceive the uninitiated.
To get factual news, what I do is to confirm news from various sources. That is never enough, but it at least eliminates some doubts. In the end, the media can only present to the public the information they have. They cannot give what they don't have. Our news media is never as trustworthy as we think it is.
