See ya in the funny papers

I am a big believer in the freedom of the press—always have been, always will be. But the recent experience of someone I know very well has forever changed the way I will read newspapers. From now on, when I see a story in print purporting to be “investigative,” I will not only read it very carefully, I will take it with a grain of salt.

Let’s just say that I have learned the word “investigative” can mean absolutely nothing in the aforementioned context. Just like op-ed writers, investigative reporters can and do write the stories they want to write. Whether they have truly investigated an issue is irrelevant—they can, and do, use only the facts that support the story they have decided to write. And if a little twisting or creative placement of the few facts they have is necessary in order to support the story they’ve decided to write, well, they’ll do that, too.

You could call it yellow journalism—it fits the bill, but more than that, it can be so misleading it’s tantamount to lying. And it can hurt innocent people.

Try this next time you read a story that appears to be about something, for example, you as a taxpayer need to know: look for assertions, allegations, and innuendo.

Then look for the supporting evidence.