Fake news, half-truths should not be present-day realities

Thanks for the two timely and thought-provoking pieces by columnists Randy David (“The new gatekeepers of information,” 12/12/2021) and Joel Ruiz Butuyan (“War for our nation’s concept of right and wrong,” 12/13/2021).

They sketched the reality of the present-day virus of lies that have infected and, in turn, weakened and poisoned our shared idea of right and wrong. Both writers attempted to make sense of the unfortunate but challenging state of affairs that we can only ignore at our collective peril.

The calculated marketing of fake news and half-truths has polarized and divided us. It has become difficult, if not impossible, for many of us to understand, much less accept, how the values of dialogue, tolerance, and respect can offer the opportunity to obtain another person’s perspective of reality. We also must confess to our lack or absence of commitment to be truth-bearers or truth-tellers outside of our comfort zones, in the open marketplace of ideas where we should contest fake news and disinformation with facts.

On the other hand, there is also a need to address the new technology and profit-driven social media platforms that are shaping and limiting our individual and collective behaviors in the public sphere. They must be held to account and made more conducive to the responsible exercise of freedom of thought and expression.

Noel G. Asiones, [email protected]