The simple action of adding his name in the questionnaire influenced people’s decisions on an important
military intervention thus showing the power and influence of narratives, formatting and symbols on people’s
political choices and orientation. In this regard, news media have a very important role to play in the framing
of issues as there can be very important political consequences for the future of diplomacy and decision
making. Third, with the proliferation of fake news, one needs to be mindful of the information one is feeding
their eyes and ears. Facts can be altered, information fabricated and yet mistaken for reality (cf: Trump’s
twitter account). Constructed media narratives, especially on social media platforms, are more concerned
with immediacy, number of views, likes and popularity than with checks, balances or accountability. For this
reason, we must strive to constantly exercise our critical thinking skills in order to not get a falsified
perception of reality. The process of acknowledging and giving credit to facts is what made us more rational,
just and adaptable. Fake news and “alternative facts” endanger our democracy, poisons our rationality in a
conniving attempt to defeat our better judgement, our logic and, I further argue, our freedom. Constructed
media narratives, especially on social media platforms, are more concerned with immediacy and popularity
than with checks and balances. We must therefore exercise our critical thinking skills in order not to get a
falsified perception of what is actually going on. Education is here to help us question such concepts.
Thanks to the information we obtain in class and thanks to the help of skilled professors, we become able to
add on to the knowledge about our disciplines by questioning old theories, challenging them and reinventing
them. This work should not end in the classroom. Its aims go far beyond it. The reflective reflexes we learn in
class need to be cultivated throughout our lives through looking into scrutiny at everything that surrounds us,
questioning it, challenging it and doubting it. Such work begins with the issue of trust in the media source.
Choose your news outlet wisely. Yes, journalists strive to inform us objectively, but they do so according to
what they subjectively believe to be worthy of coverage. Several issues are left unexplored, many injustices
are never reported and a large number of voices are unheard and their stories left untold. Indeed, if the media
highly increases the visibility of some, injustice continues to exist in the invisible world of others. For that
reason, you should refuse to be a passive recipient of information and become active in engaging in a
personal scrutiny about the world and the people you live close to. Try your very best to remain mindful of
what you feed your eyes and ears. Always nourish doubt, curiosity, and open-mindedness. We should
constantly strive to think reflectively and critically about our surroundings, whether it be at school, while
watching television, while reading newspapers, and even at home. Instead of breaking news, let us use our
analytical minds to instigate change in the news by making people who are feeding off of fake news
accountable for misleading and falsifying our reality.
Sarah is originally from France
and is an International Tutor at the
ASLLC. Next year she will study Law
in London.
JUNE 2017
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