(Not) Waiting on the World to Change

I’m not really a big John Mayer fan, but when this song came on my radio on the way home from work tonight, the lyrics caught my attention.  In particular, these lines:

When you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want.

This stood out to me because I’ve recently been verbally sparring with our local television station over their irresponsible and unethical reporting. It would seem they really don’t care. They are the purveyors of information–they own it essentially–and can bend it all they want–and they do. Which is disgusting.

On Facebook, someone commented that he hadn’t seen responsible journalism in years. True enough: the media seems to get increasingly irresponsible each year.  We really can’t trust what we’re getting–particularly if we’re only relying on one or two sources. As Lauren recently pointed out, if we want to have a more accurate understanding of current events, it’s up to us; we really have to be willing to do our research by seeking information from a variety of sources.

I get that. And I do read a variety of news sources every day. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let our community news outlet off the hook on this. As I recently wrote to their Digital Media Manager and their Managing Editor, ” I expect better–both in the accuracy and the ethics–of my media outlets.” They don’t meet my expectations. And I’m letting them know that. Because even though it may not  probably won’t change the way they report the news, I’m not willing to sit idly by while they distort it.

John Mayer and his friends (whoever they are) may just be “waiting for the world to change,” but I’m not. He’s right: “the fight ain’t fair,” but it’s worth fighting. I’m not waiting on the world to change. I’m trying to change it whenever I can–because if we all just keep waiting, nothing will ever change. And I’m not ok with that.

PS: Have you read my disclaimer?