Truth, Language, and the Erosion of Clarity in Modern Discourse
“And that’s the way it is: Friday, March 6, 1981.” With those words, Walter Cronkite signed off the CBS Evening News for the last time as its anchor, using the phrase he made famous over his 19 years in the post. Americans made Cronkite the most-watched news source, in large part due to their trust in the information Cronkite delivered. “That’s the way it is” was understood; a genuine way to cap off the delivery of information for Americans eager to be informed rather than swayed, lobbied and handled, but how things changed. Just 17 years after Cronkite’s signoff, another influential American would confound a grand jury with the comment, “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”
Clever Phrasing & Argumentative Bent
A skillful orator, lawyer and thinker, President Clinton knew his way around a verb, especially one as apparently tricky as the irregular verb, “to be.” The strength and flexibility of the word has been diluted and stretched in our time beyond anything Cronkite had in mind and perhaps even Clinton. Today, the same thing can be covered by two networks with such differences that the viewer may not recognize the story as the same one. Well-spoken, well-educated commentators (they might have been journalists in Cronkite’s day) don’t so much report news as they package it for consumption with clever phrasing and an argumentative bent designed to win viewers and sway thinking.
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Facts, data, science, professors, charts, graphs, forecasts, even history — all are open to interpretation. In fact, purposeful obfuscation and the injection of aggressive ambiguity into news reporting get commentators a substantial salary package and an evening programming slot. When they grow their opinion-fueled brand sufficiently, a much-coveted podcast is added, applying upward trajectory pressure on their compensation. Reporting the news as it actually happened, without cleverly parsing interview statements or creating sound bites full of innuendo and devoid of full truth is a path to unemployment.
Indeed, Cronkite would be unemployable today. Consider other thinkers famous for their pursuit of truth. Socrates developed the Socratic method to foster critical thinking and deeper understanding. Descartes said, “I think therefore I am,” exploring his own use of the verb to be and its significance in proving existence. Both Socrates and Descartes would likely be shunned today for their pursuit of absolutes. Such is the environment in which truth attempts to live in 2025.
News or Opinion?
Keep some observations in mind that live in the environment just described: Truth as communicated with the intended clarity of the verb to be is often twisted, lacking, obfuscated and outright corrupted by sources trusted by their own constituencies. Consider, for instance, the top news outlets that are either clearly left or, more rarely clearly right. Opinions are stated with the same weight as facts, repeatedly, in efforts to make them appear as truth based on the volume of their telling. Correlation is obscured to imply causation, with statistics only used if they appear to support the desired outcome.
Emotionality is now used instead of statistics and facts. Emotionally-charged statements are given greater weight than those spoken at more sober decibel levels, if for no other reason than the belief that hysterical speakers must have good reasons for their histrionics. And perhaps most dangerous in this environment, a belief has arisen that two minds can hold diametrically, distinctly different conclusions about the same factual reality and both be true. My truth is not necessarily your truth — Cronkite, Socrates and Descartes would sigh at that comment. It’s a cloudy workspace even for the skilled critical thinker.
At Alex McFarland Ministries, we asked, “What are we to do with our goal to deliver truth in support of some of the most important decisions of life and the most important decision of a lifetime?” After all, critical thinking is imperative to adequately consider one’s self, our decisions and indeed our place in eternity. So, with truth becoming increasingly rare and critical thinking skills to discern it rarer still, we launched the Alex McFarland Speaker Series.
Encouraging Intellectual Curiousity
This is not an advertisement to attend the series’ events, but allow me to give you some of the series’ objectives, as those are applicable to everyone. The Speaker Series encourages thought into what is believed, why it is believed, and how beliefs impact lives. We want to provide opportunities for the intellectually curious to learn more from thought leaders and subject matter experts. Moving forward, it is imperative that we equip individuals to think critically, consider the positions of others and defend the truth. In the end, it’s about enhancing lives, encouraging an examined life with thoughtful decisions based on evidence and intellectual support. As we all engage in healthy metacognition (thinking about what we think about), these objectives provide guidance as well as mileposts.
All of us are thinkers, but what we accept as truth may unfortunately vary. When Cronkite signed off with “that’s the way it is,” he did not mean that’s the way it might be, could be, should be, or is to me and possibly not for you. The pursuit and propagation of truth, which is in accordance with reality, is the right objective. This, so that forward-leaning thinkers may have the courage to stand and say, “that’s not the way it is.”
Dr. Alex McFarland is a youth, religion and culture expert, a national talk show host and speaker, educator, and is author of 20 books. McFarland directs Biblical Worldview and apologetics for Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, CO. Via the American Family Radio Network, Alex is heard live on Exploring the Word, airing daily on nearly 200 radio stations across the U.S. “The Alex McFarland Show” airs weekly on NRBTV, providing Biblically faithful TV and discussion on current events affecting our nation.
