UNBELIEVABLE: The Shared Duties of Vigilance and Credibility — EDITORIAL

Posted on January 27, 2020 in hMOUTH, hNOW

(ABOVE: image via Facebook – Auschwitz Memorial)

by Christopher Halleron

As we pause ever so briefly to reflect on specific horrors of the Second World War, it’s important to understand that these events were allowed to take place on such a shocking scale in a society where there was no credible media to tell the world what was happening.

As we look upon our society as it exists today, we see that same phenomenon taking place right here, right now. Calculated campaigns against media by those inside and outside “the free world” are making it increasingly difficult to communicate facts and critical analysis. Knowing the full, horrific potential of an ineffective media, it’s imperative that we question why these campaigns are being carried out.

If those among our leadership find themselves consistently uneasy with media scrutiny, then they should perhaps alter their own behaviors and agendas so that they have less to conceal. If their conduct truly serves the best interests of their constituents and/or office, then they should have zero problem discussing said conduct in a public forum.

Concurrent to that, media must maintain and honor its own responsibility to remain credible. Manufacturing falsehoods and crying wolf when there is none will only make it easier to sow doubt. Blind acceptance and blanket vilification will do nothing for the integrity of the media.

All this sounds rather idealistic, to the point of naïve—which speaks volumes about how far we’ve managed to slide in recent times.

But there’s so much at stake. The events we’re now commemorating didn’t happen overnight, nor were they triumphantly stamped out 75 years ago. There have been countless similar events on this planet since, and they’ve all come about through the same pattern.

With all this in mind, please be vigilant, and please put forth the effort to communicate your thoughts and observations in a manner where people will be inclined to believe you.

Not just leadership, not just media, but YOU—the individual.

You never know what you might witness in your lifetime, and you never know how much you might need someone to believe you someday.

Be credible.

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Christopher M. Halleron is the Publisher/Editor of hMAG.
As a columnist and journalist, he has covered various aspects of life here in the ‘greater Hoboken area’ and beyond for the past two decades.

His opinions are his own.