How Does One Make Sense of the News?

I am often asked - (unlike George Foreman, I'm not paid to say that) - "How do you make sense of the news?

The unspoken question nowadays is, "how does one tell the fake news from the real news?"

Part of the answer is, it takes effort.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle.

When one first opens the box and pours out all the pieces, they're just in a big pile.  None of it fits, none of it makes sense.

So, the first thing one does is turn them all right-side-up and spread them out.  Then, at least one can see them all.

But, they still don't make any sense.  The shapes mean nothing.  The colors are all mixed up.  So, one separates out the pieces that seem to have straight edges:  the edge pieces.  Not because there's anything magic about the edges, but because they're easy.  Then, gradually, one can start connecting them, either because the shape fits into another piece or because the colors match or by sheer trial and error.

Once the edge pieces are all connected, that forms the outline of the puzzle.  All the other pieces have to fit in that outline somewhere.

So, one begins to sort them by color.  Some are all blue.  One knows that's the sky, though one may not yet know how the sky pieces fit together.  Nonetheless, one knows they're generally at the top.  One can't fit many of them together, yet, but one knows they're going to fit, eventually, and one puts them together.

Maybe there is some other distinctive feature - a fence line or a wall or a window.  One can tell by looking at the pieces that they are part of that feature, so one puts them together.  A few of them, to one's surprise, actually fit with each other.

Little by little, the picture starts to take shape.  Some parts actually go fast.  Other parts just don't seem to fit and one has to go back to them over and over before one begins to discover the connections.

Finally, it all starts to make sense.  One can pick up a piece and just tell where it goes.  Sometimes, one is surprised by one piece or another.  It fits where one did not expect it to.  But, finally, all the pieces fit and are in place.

The news is exactly like that.  The first time one looks at it, it's like those puzzle pieces that are just dumped out of the box - all mixed up and seemingly nonsensical.

But, with patience, trial and error, and diligence, it can all come together.  Just don't expect it all at once or even quickly.

Telling the fake from the real news is a little harder.  It's like opening a puzzle box and some of the pieces one pours out don't have anything to do with the puzzle.  They are fake.

Start by finding a news source in which one has confidence.  I suggest a reputable news paper or the nightly news.  Read or listen to it faithfully.  Then, if one hears an item of news that contradicts that source, one may be suspicious of that item.

Don't be afraid to discard a piece of the puzzle.  If it's real, one will probably read or hear it again from the news source one trusts.

Finally, learn to tell the difference between fact and opinion.  Often, one finds opinion masquerading as fact, even in reputable news sources.  Sometimes, the reporter doesn't even recognize the difference him or herself.

For example, when a reporter reports that someone said something, that's a fact.  The reporter may get it wrong, but the person actually said something.  However, when a reporter reports that someone believes something, that's an opinion, based on the person's behavior.  The reporter cannot actually know what anyone besides the reporter believes.  Insist on finding out what the behavior was or is, then form one's own opinions about what the person believes.