Defending the Fact-Checkers

I was disappointed to hear that Glenn Kessler was leaving the Washington Post, and even more disappointed that no replacement had been named. Glenn was perhaps the first political fact-checker at the Post: he began doing that work back in 2011. He was thorough, he took his work very seriously, and he made a genuine effort to be non-partisan. Of course, if you asked politicians from both sides, they would claim he was biased-- just a partisan hack who hated their side and favored the other side. But Glenn was not a hack, and he was not a partisan either. And even when I didn't entirely agree with him, I thought he tried his best to be fair to the facts. 

While some evidence exists that hard-copy news magazines like Time had a fact-checking department as far back as the 1930s, online fact-checking is something that's relatively recent. One of the earliest sites devoted to it, Factcheck.org, got started in late 2003. The website Politifact.com got started circa 2007. A few other online newspapers and magazines developed their own fact-checkers too, and at least one cable channel has its own fact-checker-- Daniel Dale originally worked for the Toronto Star and joined CNN in 2019. In a world where facts were often in dispute, and each side of the debate lobbied hard to tell the story their own way, professional fact-checkers served a very useful purpose. This was especially true when social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube became dominant: many people who thought they were seeing "news" were really seeing partisan opinions masquerading as accurate fact. It was the professional fact-checkers who delved into the issues and presented much more in-depth (and more accurate) analysis, contradicting the misinformation and showing what the facts were.  

But as Glenn Kessler has noted, these days, the fact-checkers are outnumbered. And it seems the folks who are intentionally spreading misinformation are winning. Consider this: increasingly, more people are relying on AI for their searches and their research. In and of itself, that should be okay-- at its best, AI can explain a complicated subject or quickly find reference works you need. But here's the problem: at its worst, AI can get things wrong, or make up sources that don't exist. Professors are noticing that some student assignments have been written by ChatGPT (if you don't know your subject well, you won't recognize when the AI makes a mistake). 

And to make matters worse, some AI may soon be giving results that are intentionally biased. One search engine (Grok) has already had a tendency to periodically go off the rails and give answers that praise Hitler or encourage antisemitism. And now, thanks to pressure from the Trump administration, the tech giants who own the various AI chatbots are being ordered to remove any "woke" content. That means in order to do business with the federal government, these AI must align with the beliefs and ideology of conservatives. (Although conservatives have long claimed search engines were biased against conservative viewpoints, evidence has repeatedly shown that to be untrue; but it's still widely believed, and the president is determined to make sure only "correct" views show up in the answers AI provides.)

Meanwhile, all over the internet, it's easy to find myths, conspiracy theories, fake quotes, and manipulated or doctored images of events. And let's not forget the proliferation of deepfakes that look like famous people but are really AI generated. And standing against so much inaccurate information are a handful of fact-checkers, trying their best to separate truth from fiction in what we read or what we watch. I hope Glenn Kessler lands somewhere soon, because he's good at his job, and we need him to keep doing it. But it's also up to us to become fact-checkers every day: to avoid sending around memes with fake quotes, or falling for clickbait or outrage porn, and to take the time to seek out reputable sources. Glenn is right that at this moment, it seems like the bad guys are winning, but we certainly don't have to help them. In other words, it's okay for folks to debate what is or is not "woke." It's okay to disagree on the issues and debate whose perspective is the best. But when it comes to accurate and factual information, that shouldn't be up for debate. As New York congressman Daniel Patrick Moynihan once noted, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but no-one is entitled to their own facts." I am sure Glenn Kessler would agree. 

 

Do You Remember the Time? (A Trip Back to 1974)

Sometimes, I enjoy looking back at some of my historical photos, especially the ones that relate to the years I spent in radio. And  whenever I do that, I always come back to several photos from the summer of 1974. This one shows the marquee of the Allen Theater in Cleveland, June 28, 1974. The quality isn't the greatest, but the historical significance is: it's when Rush played at the Allen Theater, and I first met them in person. John Rutsey was still their drummer at that time, and I've told the story of how shy the three guys in the band were. They were very appreciative that I had gotten them airplay at WMMS, and before their gig, their manager promised me they would never let me down. (And in all these years, they never have.)

June 1974 was an interesting month for music. Among the big albums nationally were Paul McCartney and Wings "Band on the Run," Elton John "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," and Grand Funk Railroad "Shinin' On." At WMMS, we were doing well with Roxy Music "Stranded," David Bowie "Diamond Dogs," and the latest albums by Mott the Hoople, the Eagles, and Golden Earring. But our listeners still loved hearing that Rush album, the one with "Working Man" on it.  

A month later, John Rutsey was replaced by Neil Peart. If you're a Rush fan, you know the famous photo that commemorated their being signed to Mercury Records. It was probably taken in early August, if I had to guess. 

You can see WMMS deejay Matt the Cat on the left, and on the right, program director John Gorman, along with Mercury Records local promoter Don George. And in the middle, those three serious-looking guys: Neil, Geddy, and Alex. No, they weren't angry or upset: they were tired, and still camera-shy. And there I was in the front, holding the Rush album (which I still have).  

Perhaps, like me, you were a Rush fan right from their first album in 1974. Or perhaps you became a Rush fan years later. And perhaps, like my husband, you were never a Rush fan (he prefers country music) but you knew someone who was. My husband accompanied me to many of their concerts throughout the 1980s and beyond, and even he could not deny that these guys were dynamic performers, talented musicians, and really fun to watch. 

I have many other photos from along the way: I saw Rush in lots of cities and we remained in touch over the decades. I'm still amazed that more than 50 years have passed since I first met the guys, and I'm equally amazed that we still keep in touch. But I wonder what memories you have of 1974: perhaps you associate it with politics: the Watergate Scandal, the resignation of Nixon, and the controversial pardon Gerald Ford gave him. Perhaps 1974 brings back memories of TV shows like "All in the Family" and "Happy Days," or movies like "Blazing Saddles" and "The Towering Inferno." Or maybe you remember big sports headlines like Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hitting his 715th career home run, and breaking Babe Ruth's record. 

As for me, I will never be able to look back on 1974 without thinking of the first time I played "Working Man" in the spring of that year, never realizing what it would lead to. And of course, I will always remember meeting the guys in the band for the first time: they were so young, yet even then, I knew they had such great potential. In December of 1974, Rush played at the Agora, and they performed some of the new songs they were working on. They also kindly gave me a shout-out when they played "Working Man."

And there you are. It was 1974. I was 26 years old, a deejay and a music director at WMMS in Cleveland.  And it was a year that would soon change my life. In fact, so many things have changed since then-- some good, some not so good. But the music remains, the friendships remain, and the memories remain too. And I'd be interested to know what you think of when you think of the year 1974. Feel free to let me know in the comments!