Imagine a United States in which truth is so clearly valued that it wouldn’t occur to the media to “analyze” a president’s State of the Union address without fact checking it first.
A society in which people have a trustworthy institution to turn to for information about the most important events. In that nation, the media landscape would be built around a core principle: A leader’s knowledge and honesty are far more important than their posture, tone, or dramatic moments.
This doesn’t have to be a utopian vision. It can happen. It starts with showing the media that they stand corrected.
For me, and perhaps for you, the State of the Union may be the most frustrating night of the year. A tradition that took root starting in 1913, when President Woodrow Wilson broke a 112-year precedent by delivering his address in person, has morphed into a modern media spectacle.
Sure, some news organizations say they’ll fact check, and run articles or segments allegedly doing so. But they almost never cover all the falsehoods. And they have terrible track records, even using “fact checks” to spread their own lies. Of course people have learned to pay them little attention.
This has been a problem for decades. But I’ve never seen a politician use it to the extent Trump does — regularly pushing nonsensical lies about immigration, drugs, the economy, science, federal employees and much more. Listen to my episode following last year’s lie-fest:
Trump didn’t create this problem; he just exploits it. Some far-left figures have spotted the same opportunity, and put this gaping hole in the media to use. This successful steamrolling isn’t about some stroke of genius; it’s about a media ecosystem that openly fails our society.
My recommendation: Skip the theatrics. No American benefits from watching all that performative applause — a whopping 30 minutes in one of Trump’s previous SOTUs.
Instead, read the transcript at some point — as delivered, not necessarily as prepared. Then, look for facts on many of the topics here. Click the magnifying glass at the top, and type in any term.
And be in touch. Let me know what you additional elements you want fact checked.
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We need a truth countermovement. That’s what They Stand Corrected is all about.