Rev. Robert Fleischmann, National Director, Christian Life Resources
The king of Israel [Ahab] answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” (1 Kings 22:8)
The headlines announced that social media would no longer engage in fact-checking. With that announcement, the handwringing began, as critics suggested this was the apocalyptic demise of truth. Some have called it the death of the fourth branch of government—the press.
It likely was the Anglican clergyman John Bristed (1778-1855), who first wrote, “He who prescribes for himself has, generally, a fool for his patient.” The point was clear: self-diagnosis doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because the lack of objectivity introduces biases and knee-jerk defense arguments that often miss the problem.
Since the November 2024 general election, pundits have claimed that mainstream media is dying. Surrendering fact-checking by any agency is deemed one more nail in the coffin of what was supposed to be a valuable check-and-balance mechanism of the American dialog.
Some clarity.
Acknowledging Subjectivity
The first illusion is that a news source is or can be objective. Objective statements can be made, such as “The human body is composed of cells” or “The earth has a spherical shape.” However, how the statements are made, where they are positioned in a newscast, and the additional commentary invites the subjectivity that is always there.
I typically demonstrate inescapable bias as follows: You are a newscaster. You are a Christian, and you are pro-life. You recognize that abortion is the killing of an unborn child and that Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading abortion provider. As you select the news stories of the day for your report, you come across a study that shows (and I am making this up only as an illustration) Planned Parenthood being credited as a leading agency in helping indigent women get exams for breast cancer. The source of the report is impeccable. You used that source as credible when you have selected other stories to report on in the past. What will you do? As a journalist, you want to report the news. This is news. As a pro-life Christian, you don’t want to do anything that suggests endorsement of an agency that performs and profits from killing unborn children. Chances are you will either ignore the report or slip it quickly into your newscast with as little fanfare as possible.
That is subjectivity.
It is impossible to be objective. Everyone, regardless of the influences of nature or nurture, has biases. The fault of mainstream media and most high-profile media sources is a refusal to acknowledge subjectivity. To portray objectivity where it does not exist creates a credibility problem.
Avoiding the Truth
King Ahab could not handle the truth. In Ahab’s world, he was the center. Any suggestion to the contrary could not be tolerated.
Our Western culture is at war with objective truth. That is why, on the one hand, a woman can sue for the wrongful death of her unborn child caused by an accident, and on the other hand, she can choose to kill her unborn child through abortion. The objective truth that an unborn child was created in the image of God (Genesis 9:6; Psalm 139:13-16; James 3:9) puts God ahead of our thoughts and desires. Before we can ask, “What do I want?” this truth demands we ask, “What would God have me to do?”
So long as we substitute subjective human truth for objective Biblical truth, there will be problems. There will be “colors” of the truth – shades of preferences and desires venerated above any objectively stated truth of Scripture. And when this reality seeps into a newscast, it will color and shade a news story.
Introspective Honesty
The one thing Ahab had going for himself was that he was at least honest. He did not want the truth because he could not handle it. It is challenging to be introspectively honest when telling a story.
I had a seminary professor who told the story of when he pursued his doctorate, and an instructor told him he would never be a scholar. The instructor asked him, “If you researched the universe’s origin and all of your evidence pointed to evolution and not creation, what would you do?” He responded, “I would throw out my research and start over.” “That is why you will never be a scholar,” his instructor replied.
True scholarship begins with introspective honesty. Every person who presumes to report the news should start by being honest with himself. We come to every story with a bias. As children of God, our bias is that truth is only from God, and we have it in the Bible. That doesn’t mean we always like the truth. After all, our inclination is at war with God (Genesis 8:21; Romans 8:7). Introspective honesty realizes that there is an internal battle that wants to dismiss some objective truths in favor of subjective desires (Romans 7:19). Nevertheless, introspective honesty enslaves us to objective truth (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1) through faith in Christ Jesus as our Savior.
Bad Actors
There will always be bad actors who will claim not only to be speaking the truth but will claim it to be God’s truth (Jeremiah 5:30-31; Ezekiel 13:6-7; Matthew 7:15; Romans 16:17-18; 1 John 4:1). Oftentimes, their message will mesh with our desires (Matthew 6:1-18; Philippians 1:15-17), but they are not the objective source of truth.
Today, bad actors can be found on all sides of the issues. Those seeking your attention often focus on emotion as a guide to making decisions. They appeal to suspicion, fear, notions of injustice, and empathy. They attempt to replace the objective truth with subjective intuition, even when they sound like they are on your side.
The Apostle Paul advised Timothy in such circumstances:
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:3–5)
Persecution as an Agent of Change
Ultimately, the truth cannot stop being the truth, which poses a problem for those wishing to promote something other than the truth. Typically, they resort to some form of persecution. Sometimes, it can be physical, but more often, it involves intimidation, condescension, belittling, and other efforts to discredit the person when the truth cannot be discredited.
Several years ago, I was asked to present a paper on the conservative Lutheran view of death at a conference primarily attended by attorneys. When I finished, one of the lawyers called me a “bibliolater” because of my copious quotes from Scripture. Name-calling is one way to discredit the messenger without dealing with the substance of the message.
We see this when we reference God’s word on an issue, and someone objects because you are “forcing religion down their throats.” Their goal is to discredit the messenger, and in so doing, they can avoid having to deal with the message.
Fact-Checking with Credibility
Because of mankind’s sinful inclination, even the wisest words are tainted and flawed (1 Corinthians 1:25). Credible fact-checking begins by understanding God’s opinion on all things. You cannot get that without a deep dive into God’s word (Hebrews 5:11-6:3).
I am not saying all that we can do is quote Bible passages. I am saying, however, to begin fact-checking from an objective and reliable source of truth – the word of God.
Before spouting off what you think about a topic, ensure your opinion is grounded in genuine truth. Then, as Peter instructs us:
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. (1 Peter 4:11)
Truth with Purpose
Finally, truth-telling is not the same as winning an argument. When you possess the truth, you have already won without bullying. In other words, do not use the same techniques as those who challenge the truth. We are instructed to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:25). We are to present ourselves as gentle and respectful (1 Peter 3:15), correcting errors with patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2).
Our goal is not to win the argument. Rather, we are building a relationship through acts of love and sacrifice with the ultimate goal that others may glorify God in heaven (Matthew 5:16). God wishes for all people to come to faith (1 Timothy 2:4), and he uses us, in all of our flaws, to be his messengers.
Social media surrenders fact-finding only when good people say nothing. Speak up, and when you do, do it in a way that testifies to your goodness, rooted in Christ’s sacrifice.
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