Bruce  Dickson

The sad demise of facts by Bruce  Dickson

Posted on February 23, 2010

“There are no facts anymore, only good or bad fiction.”
- Denny Crane, Boston Legal.

“I don’t use facts. Facts have a known liberal bias.”
- Stephen Colbert. Colbert Report.

The sheer necessity to reform the media

  • Matt Mawson

    Matt Mawson

    “All we want are the facts.”

    Joe Friday, a fictional character.

  • Bruce Dickson:

    Heh, heh. Seemingly simpler times, Matt. But straight to the point.

  • Bruce Dickson:

    Thanks for the addition. Hopefully some more gems will turn up.

  • Matt Mawson

    Matt Mawson

    I thought Officer Friday’s catchphrase was “Just the facts, ma’am”, but Wikipedia says different.

  • Bruce Dickson:

    Glad to observe such a thorough checking of the facts, Matt.

    I used to once think that even talking about ‘the facts’ was a bit dubious – given such truths as ‘history being written by the victors’. (Let alone the apparent ease with which lies are so often spun into ‘facts’, on the basis of endless repetition of propaganda ‘talking points’.)

    However given the way wild and inflammatory media commentary now substitutes for good old fashioned research & reporting (I.F. Stone where are you?), and the way online opinion can so easily degenerate into mindless ventings of bias & prejudice, I think I truly would be more than thankful for a simple return to “just the facts, m’am”, or even a time honored dose of the ‘truth .. and nothing but the truth’!

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