Are we presenting opinions or facts?

2015-07-22T08:09:23-04:00

For those that have spent any amount of time reading or watching the news, or even reading on this website; you have been exposed to a lot of thoughts and ideas concerning how we should react to the threat our military recruiters face.

Last night, after coming home from watching the movie "Trainwreck" (which is really funny and worth seeing by the way), I found myself flipping through the channels and scrolling through RSS feeds and I was simply overwhelmed by the number of thoughts and ideas out there. Here on RallyPoint, I know I spent the day voicing my thoughts and listening to others. Personally, I thought it was a great debate with some awesome back and forth. Then it got me thinking, how do we as the public seperated ideas based on opinions from those based in facts?

We all know that each news station puts some sort of spin on every story and supports one political party over the other. Yet, as we get deeper into the race for President and react to recent events, how can we stay an educated public by separating what is really fact from someone's opinion?

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Jul 22 at 2015 8:13 AM

2015-07-22T08:13:35-04:00

We all have bias based on how we believe. Sometimes the lines between facts and opinions are blurred. Look at the news media. They often present opinion as fact.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 22 at 2015 8:22 AM

2015-07-22T08:22:29-04:00

Any forum such as RP is open debate and for some conjecture, thus inviting opinions which spur quality interaction/discussion. I trust with the quality of the audience on RP the vast majority of opinions are based on facts rather than unfounded speculation.

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Jul 22 at 2015 8:24 AM

2015-07-22T08:24:31-04:00

SGT Ben Keen It comes down to how each individual processes the information that they receive. I can usually tell when something is fact or an opinion, based on my individual perception. Again, my perception could be skewed or wrong. The problem with the actual news is they make opinions seem like fact - I know that is the opposite of what I just said above, but that is where each individual needs to review and process the information as clearly as possible. I've been lazy in some instances only reading the first couple of paragraphs in a headline, making an assumption based on what I partially read and then missed some important facts. I think happens allot to many people. People are in a big hurry these days and I believe they only process have the information or storyline they hear or read. When it comes to RallyPoint I can usually tell opinion(s) (because a lot of members let us know that it is just their opinion) versus information provided from SMEs to other individuals asking for facts. I agree with you that the "spin factor" is definitely influencing individuals in our society in one way or another, so we need to be careful and try to read between the lines as best we can. I don't think there is an immediate fix to the difference between "Opinions or Facts". Again, this is just my opinion on your question. I'm not an expert on media commentary and the psychological affects it has on the public in general

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 22 at 2015 9:00 AM

2015-07-22T09:00:19-04:00

SGT Ben Keen, great post! I think it is nearly impossible to actually fully separate fact and opinion. I would even argue that at least to some extent, facts become worthless without (educated) opinions.

In recent events, there are actually very few hard facts we have to go on when broken down. We will never be able to say 100% what the shooter was thinking, what led to his actions, where the turning point was. Even if he had a highly detailed diary, his own ability to convey his thoughts, and unknown imbalances in his brain, would skew what was written on paper. If you've ever been in an English class, you know that words can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on who is reading them (seriously, where does all that symbolism come from?). Similarly, we cannot evaluate the scenario and properly predict the correct course of action for the next incident. Will the next shooter use the same weapon? Will his end goal be the same? Will the distraction of trying to prevent this scenario actually open up other avenues of attack while the focus is concentrated on recruiting stations? We can only form educated opinions on likely causes, and likely solutions moving forward.

This can also apply to the Presidential race. We have very few actual facts to go on, even with our current President. Sure, we have unemployment numbers and the deficit, but looking at raw numbers is hardly useful, as they don't occur in a vacuum. We need educated opinions from those smarter than us in their field that explain the why and how these numbers exist at their current levels. The best option we have is to form opinions on which candidate's strategy moving forward will LIKELY have the most positive impact. Until their term has come to pass, there are no actual facts to base our votes on.

So what can we do? Form more opinions, of course! None of us can be experts in everything, so we need to form our own opinions on who we will trust to inform us. In our opinion, does the Harvard Economics professor likely have a background developed enough to catch the minor details of the current climate, and form a likely hypothesis for the years to come? Does the retired General guest speaker have enough real experience at the right level to weigh in on foreign policy? More importantly, are these men and women in positions where they can appear on television or in print and speak freely, without a political or personal agenda guiding which words they share and which they hold private?

Personally, I try to stay "educated" by watching/reading news sources that I know often conflict. If CNN, Fox, and MSNBC all report on the same story, I like to analyze where they actually find agreement. If it is a major issue that impacts my personal vote, I then take those basic issues and see what the "people on the streets" have to say. Those who are experts in their field, but who haven't been called on by anyone to make a formal opinion.

Response by LTC John Shaw made Jul 22 at 2015 10:08 AM

2015-07-22T10:08:44-04:00

SGT Ben Keen There has never been objective news sources. The editor/producer has a bias and they must choose what information they want the audience to focus on. The Human filter element causes the bias upfront. All news are opinion, studies even 'science' based are opinion. The studies are funded by someone, who wants an end result to drive the desired community behavior. An educated public knows that all news sources are tainted and must understand they are always being pitched a point of view.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Jul 23 at 2015 7:53 AM

2015-07-23T07:53:02-04:00

In the words of Mark Twain "Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please".

Many facts are open to interpretation, some are not. 2+2 = 4 is a mathematical fact, very few would dispute it. It is also a fact that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 or that terrorist hijacked planes and flew them into the twin towers, the pentagon and into a field in Pennsylvania on September 11th 2001.

Very few stable people would dispute the facts but many will dispute the why or the how these factual events might have happened. That is where we end up spending all out our time. The interpretation of facts and sometimes in the debunking of lies passed off as facts.

The difference between a theory or a hypothesis and a fact are significant but you would not know it today based upon the way people talk about them. For example, the theory of evolution is spoken about by many as if it is a scientific fact but it is not. It is a theory of origins, no more, no less. Some have accepted it as a fact and speak about it as if it is 100% verifiably and factually true.

It is easy to have an opinion, we all do. It is a little harder to have an informed one because you have to read/research/study something to have an informed opinion. We live in a society where everyone wants to be heard but few want to spend any time making sure they are informed.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 23 at 2015 8:18 AM

2015-07-23T08:18:29-04:00

Society is permeated with ignorance. We are dumbing down our future, as people are more concerned about the now, and gratifying themselves in a quick manner, the real thinkers, those who envision 10, 20, 50 years into the future are obscured and misunderstood. My best example is the war we have been actively fighting against radical Islam. I get ask question, what do you think, or this or that. Most have not sacrificed anything except for a few kind words to troops here and there, we come home and they are living their lives like nothing happens, more concerned of what Kardashian, or whatever the slutty reality star has been showing lately, and have no clue os our history, constitution, geography, politics, can not even differentiate a Shia to a Sunni after 15 god damn years. What really irks me is that this also has permeated in the armed forces, who right now are more concerned about garrison mind instead of having us safe. How many attacks on troops is going to be evident for the high command to take pertinent action? I have voiced that on our monthly meetings with my command, and they have yet to say one word to the rest of the troops. No weapons, no ammo, and god forbid you call them towel heads.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Jul 23 at 2015 8:38 AM

2015-07-23T08:38:23-04:00

For any news station, BAD NEWS SELLS!! If it seems bad, make it worse. If it's military related, call them "heroes" or "undisciplined" to melt hearts or shock viewers. Ratings and clicks are everything. That includes RP, FB, and other pages like it. Advertisers won't pay for a bum station's air time, nor would investors support websites that aren't frequented. In the end, it's up to the viewer or reader to separate the "truth" as given from rumor, innuendo, or spin.