When journalism fails, democracy fails - opinion
Today, we face another contagion: the erosion of our collective capacity for critical thinking.
In an emergency room, a family eagerly awaits news about a loved one's surgery. When the surgeon arrives, he finds the family drunk and incapable of making sound decisions. This scenario is used to illustrate the consequences of untrustworthy information in Israel, where the electorate needs to exercise critical judgment. When institutions fail to provide verified information, the electorate can no longer distinguish between competing narratives.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel faced a clear threat with a virus, and people responded differently. However, now, the issue is the erosion of collective critical thinking skills. Factors contributing to this include ideological tribalism, confirmation bias, selective reporting, sensationalism, and blurring the line between journalism and advocacy.
In a visit to a brother-in-law's sukkah, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi expressed his choice to avoid the toxic news cycle by not having access to television, radio, or smartphones. He questioned how someone could make an informed electoral choice when presented with hatred, accusations, and disparagement. The reporter found himself questioning whether he truly understands the situation better than the rabbi, given his immersion in news and commentary.
Another encounter with a politically right-wing acquaintance highlighted the issue further. When asked about allegations concerning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the October 7 Hamas attack, the acquaintance received conflicting information from various sources. The reporter explained that the same allegations could be presented as truths, fabrications, selective disclosures, or politically motivated manipulations, depending on the source.
The problem extends to reporting on other issues like Qatar-related investigations, Netanyahu's corruption trial, and the Sde Teiman affair. Allegations, evidence, prosecutorial decisions, contested interpretations, and judicial findings are distinct categories, but they often converge with dramatic headlines and ideological certainty. An accusation does not equate to a conviction, and the absence of a conviction doesn't confirm that an allegation was fabricated.
Responsible journalism must maintain the principles of separating reporting from advocacy. While journalists can have opinions, they should not blur the line between the two. The analogy of the Cold War nuclear arms race is used to describe the adversarial relationship between Israeli media channels, which, like the US and Soviet Union, could escalate their information warfare without considering the consequences.
In the end, the damage caused by the erosion of critical thinking in a democracy is far greater than any political disagreements between media outlets.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
