Searching Out a Matter

Media bias is a common topic for discussion in the U.S. This problem is not confined to the U.S. however. Recently I visited a major journalism school in Bordeaux, France, and asked what the students were learning. Among other things, the Director said the school taught that there was "no such thing as objective reality." He said that since reporters could only see a slice of reality, their reporting was necessarily subjective, meaning it was affected by the reporter's background, point of view and philosophy. Instead of trying overcome a reporter's limitations and fairly present reality, the Director said the job of a reporter was not to find and present the "truth," but to use "selected facts" in order to convince the readers of the reporter's political point of view. I said, "If this is the case, then surely your reporters will get into trouble with their readers, since at least some will perceive the bias in reporting and complain to the publication." The Director assured me that it would be the readers' fault if they read a publication and did not know that what they were reading was "conservative reality" or "socialist reality."

If these journalism students report as they have been taught, then many people in France receive news of the world through a political or philosophical filter, distorting reality. If a French person, or any person, does not make an effort to compare "realities" or double-check stories and facts then he or she will have a very flawed view of many things.

Is there a reliable source of truth, or is everything subjective? Christ gave the answer in John 17:17. Christ, praying to the Father said: "Sanctify them [His disciples] by your truth. Your word is truth." Christ in person was the reliable living Word. The Bible is the written word of God. The Bible is truth. Christ's disciples are set apart by their adherence to Biblical truth.

The Bible can be distorted by those who take selected "facts" and "spin" them in order to convince others of a particular point of view. The need to diligently compare stories and get all the facts is not new. Solomon in Proverbs 18: 17 said that "the first to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him." We understand by this that we need to ask questions about reports we hear, listen to different sides of an issue, and search out all the facts to gain a better understanding of reality. Proverbs 25:2 adds that "it is the glory of kings to search out a matter." This shows that people of noble heart and character will make the diligent search necessary to find truth. Tomorrow's World urges you to read the Bible verses we use to support our points. See if we are "spinning" biblical facts, or rather if we are fairly and honestly presenting truth. Why? Because what we present in many important areas is different than what you will hear at your average church. Are you comfortable with "your reality?" Or are you ready for well-founded, provable, biblically based truth? You decide.