Information Gathering In A Crazy World

"Whoever controls the media, controls the mind"
Jim Morrison

Now days the mainstream media is a lot like the mobsters of old, with their strong arm twisting of the facts. They remind one of the stories we hear of the CIA with their truth covering and twisting. Some people believe EVERYTHING they read, some think it is all bunk, and some have learned to read and weigh until the truth is found.

The alternate media are becoming important and viable alternatives to playing live. Records, videos, that kind of thing. They're going to start to count for something. Because there's only a limited amount of us-time available to us.
Jerry Garcia 

Where do you get your information? How do gather your facts? Who do you trust? In our world, at least here in America, we have the opportunity to examine a lot of information to come up with our answers, but with that power comes the need to be very careful. The internet, t.v., and all of the other technologies are great for on the spot information but you have to know how to find reliable information among the scraps of sensationalism and the intentional misdirections.

If you want the truth about any given subject I have some thoughts for you. If you want to feel safe in a cocoon of bull, simply stick to the local evening news, stay off of social networks, and avoid blogs that cover anything but cooking recipes and gossip about the stars.

-Avoid Wikipedia for true truth. You can use it for a jumping off point only. People write it and change it and fiddle with it and other wise spin it to suit. Not all that different from every other source you will use except too many people remember encyclopedias and think that the information in Wiki is like that. 

Summer of 2011, Ms. Sarah Palin was talking like she likes to and said some stuff about Paul Revere. Her information was not entirely true so folks on all sides jumped to prove or disprove her words. As If There Was Nothing More Important Going On! So Fox got their experts to say she wasn't wrong. And Wikipedia gets content added to make her seem right. And of course the other side had to have a say. It gets down right stupid though at times it is comical to watch.

-Use social networking sites to follow the news before it hits your TV. Not too long after BP spill in the Gulf, I started following a group of "coastal warriors"  to keep up to date on the street side stories. I live in Michigan which also had an oil spill. It was scary how I knew about it two full days before it hit my local news. It was announced in hours from the Florida based watch group and it took days to reach the airways. 

Your best bet is to make friends with as many different types of folks as you can and then shut up.  Watch and listen. You learn the most that way. I break this rule when it comes to certain subjects, like children, because sometimes people are just too stupid and rude to keep quiet around. Over all if you listen to all sides you know who is heading into a good place, who is going to cause war, and who is a serial killer in the making. It is easier to fight enemies if you know what they are thinking with out them knowing you know, ya' know? 

-Watch the comment section on every interesting news story, blog, and thinking YouTube video you deal with. You will find they are more informative as to the state of your Union then the article it's self. You will see a lot of that same extreme thinking that come from the posts of private blogs, on social walls and the like. A lot to be learned there if you pay attention.

- READ THE BLOGS!!!! And not just the ones with 100 million readers. Small time blogs have more at stake and more desire to do well because they need the viewers they have to stay loyal. Here is a great place to see a right wing view at Zilla's blog. She points out why folks should support their bloggers, the reporters that don't have someone's false view to push.

And like I said read the comments! Follow the links. Research. But above all else use your own common sense and knowledge from your life to find the truth. Put together as much of the facts that make sense and you will be a lot closer to the truth then anything you can find in a lone TV news show.

I trust you to look beyond the front face of any story.