Truth vs Insanity is a nifty little column that points out media lies and contrasts them with facts. Ahhhhhh, "Facts!" Aren't facts such lovely things? It is difficult to imagine that it requires deep digging simply to find the actual facts of the Area News, but since most media outlets will not do this for the public--simply provide them the facts--we take a moment here to point out the level to which we feel the media misleads and underserves the Public. We break down for you below, what is TRUE and what is Insanely reported regarding the recent Ottawa County Treasurer appointment, as the long-standing Treasurer, Amanda Price, recently resigned.
VS.
Local Insanity: ...A Finalist Endorsed by the Ottawa Impact-Controlled County GOP...
Here, the Holland Sentinel is reporting the following article as "fact" on their News page, [as opposed to running it instead on their opinion page]. Admittedly, some of the article is fact-based, as it does, in fact, announce the name of the newly-appointed Treasurer, and shares some quoted material from her. However, it then goes on to mislead the Public in its description of the OCRP in relationship to Benjamin Genser, a Republican candidate who also interviewed for the position.
Take a look at this screenshot below, describing the Ottawa County Republican Party.
Insanity: There are several mistruths in this one half sentence. The Sentinel is claiming AS FACT, that the OCRP is "'controlled' by Ottawa Impact," which is BLATANTLY false. While the Party as a corporation shares many of the same views and values with this particular PAC, the OCRP is a separate entity. The PAC doesn't clear their decisions with us and we don't clear ours with them.
*We think this a good time to remind people that politics is a spectrum. This is why groups in the various Parties have "wings" and caucus groups. Some examples from the United States House would be, the Freedom Caucus, the Republican Study Committee and so on. Although Republicans unite under the shared cause of conservatism, vetted Republicans are free-thinkers who have their own minds and strong opinions on a variety of issues. Healthy Republicans believe in lively debate over how to solve issues within the confines of our shared cause. Therefore, the OCRP is not controlled by this one PAC.
TRUTH: The OCRP is in fact controlled by:
The will of the Republican Precinct Delegates who were elected by the PEOPLE in their various precincts, for the People and by the People.
As such, anytime Precinct Delegates behave in a political manner that their neighbors from their particular precinct don't agree with, the People can vote them out in the next election and elect new representatives who will represent them as they wish to be. *This is an inconvenient, yet civil democratic function and fact of local government that the Sentinel may not want the Public to know.
MORE TRUTH: It would be smart for the Sentinel to look at these facts and realize that facts in journalism matter to the integrity of what can be represented as ..."News." *Misleading the Public about who controls the Party is a disservice to the Public.
TAKEAWAY QUESTION: As this Newsletter is edited by publishing industry professionals, we find this "type" of journalism sloppy at best and intentionally misleading at worst. Again, we are wondering why Hope College has nominated a chief editor at the Sentinel for a Pulitzer Prize in light of common journalistic errors such as the one highlighted here, when their own English Department would fail a student's assignment if it were turned in with intentional false statements and/or it alleged specific elements as facts that were not.
What Does All of This Mean?
It means that we need to be actively digging for truth...every single day. Every time we read a newspaper article, it unfortunately means we could be misled. Part of patriotism is taking the time to become informed. We love our way of life as conservatives, don't we? Unfortunately, however, the left exploits our preference to be independent and therefore, "left alone." While we are distracted and living our lives, they quietly, yet successfully, infiltrate our school-boards and city councils in nonpartisan elections, and also run Democrats "as Republicans" for elected offices. If our local News sources won't tell us this, we find out the hard way, when this type of leadership transforms our communities. *Please take the time to find out the truth. Develop relationships with entities that will tell you the truth. We understand that this is inconvenient in our fast-paced world, and it's easier to consume headlines on social media or online. But if we don't make time, we won't get the truth.
Local, Sane News Sources in Ottawa County
