NOCTILUCA February 2017

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin February 2017 Volume XXII

Issue IV Page 3

Noctiluca Editorial

Misleading news propaganda must be eliminated

fights to inform and empower every man and woman), Presi- dent Trump demands that the American people have ears only for his words. There is no call more dangerous. And the justification for officials’ alter- native facts is unprecedented; projecting objectively false information to the American people as a sort of truth enables the government to continue to procure misinformation while officials carry out different ac- tions. We cannot simply trust the word of one man. We must perpetually search for truth in news and support independent journalism. This predicament surround- ing the promotion of mis- leading propaganda must be eradicated. Recent political de- cisions, discussions, opinions and actions have been heav- ily influenced by this misin- formation, particularly during the presidential election and President Trump’s inaugura- tion. In order to develop well- informed opinions and gain re- alistic comprehensions of the state of American society, we must learn to sift through the pseudo facts and identify val- id sources. This is easier said than done. How can you pin- point who is providing the hard facts, who is incorporating bias into their reporting or who is simply procuring false infor- mation and presenting it as re- liable news coverage? At first glance, it is difficult to come to a solidified conclusion, but

thus antithetical to education and learning. However, this cynicism inevitably collapses on it- self, because the production of knowledge is only useful insofar as it improves the hu- man experience. If final tests are allowed to invade the cel- ebration of the New Year (or other associated holidays), they become a barrier to our ability to fundamentally en- joy our lives during a time when we should enjoy them the most. This would be an unfortunate oversight in our learning experience. I do not know who decides when the term dates are, but whoever you are, I entreat you to let students and educators maximize their enjoyment of winter break by ending the term before it starts, however possible. I cannot imagine a scenario where those two ex- tra weeks make so much of a difference. Moreover, our beliefs must monitored as we read news; we must be conscientious of our inherent biases. Material that aligns with our opinions may not be correct, but we could easily be manipulated into be- lieving misinformation simply because it supports an idea we support. Think about this: it is significantly easier to believe your cat broke your lamp if you are a dog person and have developed a closer connection with your dog. We must re- main conscientious of our per- sonal and implicit biases as we strive for a progressive society. We must eradicate fake news, discourage alternative facts and seek objective information in an effort to establish rights for all. if you take the time and read articles published from both political perspectives, objec- tive facts can be obtained. Of course, it is never exactly en- joyable when perusing through the opposing viewpoint. But is that not one of society’s is- sues, as well? Polarization has become rampant within America and has increased the vulnerability of people with rigid political categorizations. We need to be more tolerant of diverse thought because (if we value theAmerican institutions of our rights to the freedom of speech) everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it chal- lenges us personally to be more conscientious of our individual rationales.

Having the end of the term two weeks after winter break obviates the utility of an ad- ministratively scheduled break; a bit like how drinking a can of soda thirty minutes after you brush your teeth is counterproductive to dental health. Most of the discussion around the timing of finals relative to winter break usu- ally centers around its impact on test-taking. Everyone has his or her own philosophy; for every student who prefers to relax on break without a week of testing looming on the ho- rizon, to “get it over with” so to speak, there is another who sees winter break as an oppor- tunity to prepare for his or her Communion must be the focus of intermissions Social media has become increasingly integrated into so- ciety, which is simultaneously a bane and a blessing. Objec- tively speaking, there has not been a time when communica- tion on a scale this grand could be as efficiently accomplished; the potential to perpetually learn has never been as ac- cessible. It is through online communication that most in- dividuals receive their daily dosage of news; how else can you obtain viable information regarding, say, Syrian refugee health or ethnic crises in South Sudan? State, national and global news highlight the condition of society and illuminate the areas for progressive reform. (Simi- larly, how can a patient address her illness if she is uninformed about its strengths and weak- nesses?) So misleading propa- ganda must be avoided at all costs. As a society founded on progressive values, we must be conscientious of fake news and alternative facts and sift through proclaimed “facts” to discover the concrete and justi- fiable realities of our world “in order to form a more perfect union.” Fake news has been procured People must avoid fake news and alternative facts By Mac Bagwell

Social media communication mediums, such as Twitter, are propagating fake news. Photo illustration by Maeve Salm

tests. In this respect, the entire discussion is moot because it collapses into a clash of per- sonal tastes. However, it would be naive and reductionist to analyze this issue through the narrow framework of grade optimiza- tion. Winter break is a cultur- al institution more so than it is an academic one. The weeks leading up to and including the start of the new calendar year are recognized and celebrated by almost all cultures across the globe, al- beit each in their own differ- ent ways. Celebration of the new year dates back to the Babylonians around 4000 BCE, and thou- sands of years of tradition exist around the celebration of the winter solstice, as can be seen through the dates of such holidays as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Winter break exists so that we can take time to observe with diverse intentions which primarily include: illuminating the malleability of opinions, gaining monetary benefits or fueling partisan divides. An interview conducted by NPR provided the inside story of Justin Coler, a fake news pro- ducer, which explained his rationale behind promoting fake news. His objective was to portray how quickly false news could spread. In ten days, one of his pseudo-news pieces obtained over 1.6 mil- lion views. He commented to NPR, “The people wanted to hear this. So all it took was to write that story,” exemplify- ing the current polarization of American politics. Through ad views on his pages, Coler made anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 a month, which

highlights the concern for the influence of economic prof- its on the production of fake news. Likewise, Coler, who claims the monetary benefits do not influence his participa- tion in this industry, believes the economic incentive would encourage money-seekers to produce fake news. Unfortunately, fake news is not the only misleading infor- mation propagated; alternative facts are frequently spewed from the mouths of current government officials. With President Trump’s rampant claims that objective news sources have become biased falsehoods, legitimate news re- porting is now being demeaned and disregarded. Instead of looking to well-established and independent news (which

First semester finals should be scheduled before winter break

Zoe Throop and Lexi Tierney study for their AP Physics and AP Psychology finals. It would be more advantageous to schedule finals prior to break than after as it would allow students to enjoy needed relaxation. Photo illustration by Maeve Salm

this most integral and historic part of our humanity: our cul- ture. Final tests have no such tradition. To say that winter break is a good time to review for finals is literally an insult, however microscopic, to the

human experience as it is un- derstood everywhere. Cynics may dissent, how- ever. They will say that edu- cation and learning are acul- tural, and to draw upon the power of culture in the dis- cussion of academic terms is