In 1966, in news writing class at Castle High School, they taught that the basis of reporting is verifiable facts. Who, what, when, where and why. In much of right-wing media today, verifiable facts are the missing ingredient.
Propagandists are people who play on people’s fears and prejudices and work them into a frenzy in order to manipulate them to promote their agenda, which is not stated openly. Once in a frenzied state, people are rendered incapable of rational decision-making because they act on pure emotion, not on facts. Thus they are easy prey for those who wish to exploit them for their own personal gain, they even vote for people who would diminish their medical coverage, privatize Social Security and Medicare, and suppress peoples right to vote, which is the lifeblood of democracy.
An example of this is Scott Atlas, President Donald Trump’s preferred coronavirus spokesperson, who espouses “no preventative measures, and natural herd immunit.” He is a radiologist, has no training in infectious diseases and continually undermines the authority of infectious disease experts. This is medical malpractice that has resulted in the needless sickness and deaths of thousands. When I needed cataract surgery it surely was not a proctologist whom I consulted.
When over 5.3 million more voters voted for President-elect Joe Biden and the results were confirmed by election officials, and people cannot accept the results, it is because people have been manipulated into a state of fact, and science denial. There are far right propagandists incessantly lying to people in politics, religion, all the media sources and in the general public. They make outlandish claims and accusations with no factual basis but people swallow these falsehoods whole because they are emotionally frenzied, like a school of opelu following the palu into the fisherman’s net. Conspiracy theorists, white nationalist groups, and others always undermining the goal of “liberty and justice for all.”
Trump continues to make multiple false claims daily, and people continue to support him, even when these lies are easily exposed. There’s been 30 court cases lost or dropped because of no valid claims, and no evidence. Now, he is asking his supporters to contribute to his legal defense fund. A self-declared multi-billionaire asking his average Joe supporter to give him money for his legal defense fund from his hard-earned paycheck, while Trump shows no interest in passing another COVID-19 relief bill to help the average Joe or small business, or states that will have to lay people off. The definition of insanity.
Leslie Iijima is a resident of Waikoloa Village.