News today just doesn’t amount to more than mere rumors anymore. Some articles do. But most don’t. The fact is that news isn’t new or accurate anymore. It’s just the same “hot” topic over the duration of months or weeks, or until some new hot topic comes up. News just makes you wait for something new, and if something new doesn’t come up, it either makes something up, makes something happen, or makes big articles out of little things. The truth hurts and the truth is that the news we rely on everyday has degraded from “factual news” into gossip turned into profit. News is a business, and it sells to the public, but with how it is now, are you still buying?

Earlier today, a friend of mine from the U.K. surprisingly left a comment on my page saying “Wow dude, there are loads of protests in the Philippines really against nuke power”, a direct quotation. The comment surprised me. I laughed for a moment and left a reply, denying any reason to wow at “loads of protests in the Philippines against nuke power”. It was the usual partner of news – exaggeration.

Being from the Philippines myself, I’m accustomed to protests around specific areas in the Philippines, a result of Democracy. It wasn’t something surprising or something to wow about. It was normal; it was a usual event for the Democratic Filipinos.

Nukes – well, people hate nukes for obvious reasons. People fear them, and fear arouses hate when it isn’t suppressed. Maybe the events in Chernobyl did go archaic but the events in Japan rekindled fear of nuclear-related matter, for bombs and reactors alike. So my fellow Filipinos are just protesting against any hope of constructing Nuclear Reactors anywhere in our country. I say it isn’t new, it’s just logical that Filipinos protest against a Nuclear Reactor with how Japan is having a hard time with their own Nuclear Reactor. “Learn from other people’s mistakes” – is the gist of what my people are trying to say, no need for exaggerations right? Let’s just say that in this case, “news” became exaggeration instead of what it was supposed to be.

Then there was the recent talk about a revolution in where I am, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The revolution turned out to be mere rumors given hype by the news for weeks just to stir people and hype up ratings. The revolution didn’t happen. This time, news became an “exaggeration” with “faux” sources.

The wise say “to see is to believe” and it seems it is the wise decision to rely on what you witness instead of believing in the news. Some articles remain true to the concept of giving people information, true, but if an article concerns you, check if the same article is based on an exaggeration or actual facts, preferably by researching and witnessing it yourself. You can also ask people you trust, but not just any people you trust, but people actually related to the article. Let me leave you with questions: how do you see and how much do you believe in news? “To see is to believe” and I’ll leave it at that.

[Condolences and prayers for Japan and the Japanese people in their time of need. From me and the people behind this blog]

-JJMJ-