Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/621909
25 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 JANUARY 2016 Opinion truth' becomes an unnecessary commodity, to be supplanted by whatever bullshit would generate more hits, or serve whatever other inscrutable purpose it was invented to achieve. In a sense, it's a bit like the old fable about the boy who cried wolf. Only in this scenario, it is an entire global network of information – the 'worldwide web', no less – that constantly does all the crying. Against this backdrop, facts become increasingly hard to determine. And that – ideally – is where the so-called mainstream media should come in. Once again, Lemmy's demise makes a useful blueprint. As long as the early reports came from sources such as 'Newsthump' and 'the Daily Beast', his death could safely be dismissed as a hoax. When it was picked up by the BBC and all major online newspapers, it could safely – but even then, not with 100% certainty – be verified as fact. As with the boy who cried wolf, there is a moral to this cautionary tale. At the simplest level, it would be "check your sources before hitting the 'share' button on that dodgy link". On a broader level, however, it is also a gentle reminder that spreading information carries with it certain responsibilities. In a world dominated by colossal falsehood, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. (I think that's actually a quote by someone… I read it on the Internet). To put it another way: how does one navigate through this electronic ocean of deceit, if not by placing trust in the mainstream media for confirmation of 'news'? And how can one actually trust the mainstream media, when we all know there are so many vested interests at stake? Well, judging only by Malta's equivalents of 'official' and 'unofficial' sources… you can't. I'll limit myself to just one recent example. Daphne Caruana Galizia's blog recently carried an entry – which was plastered all over the Maltese social media – claiming that a certain lawyer was in receipt of a consultancy package worth 170 euros an hour. The lawyer just happened to be the (Labour) mayor of Msida, Alex Sciberras… who vehemently denied the allegation, demanded an apology and eventually sued the blogger for libel. The blogpost itself was removed… and to date that is the only reliable indicator that there must be some truth to Sciberras's protestations of innocence. I won't waste time questioning why the unproven claim was even made in the first place. Let's be realistic here: this is not exactly the first time a complete fabrication has appeared on that blog. What interests me about this example is that it illustrates how deeply the culture of online deceit has taken root. It is a culture whereby 'facts' are not even considered important any more… still less 'sacred'… so just about any old fabrication can be thrown out there, on the basis that some of the mud might stick. And granted, Daphne's blog is not exactly 'mainstream'… though it is occasionally cited as such by the Opposition in parliament. The problem is that the rest of the media landscape is not so very different either. The political media are the most blatant examples, though I won't deny that private media houses, including this one, may be guilty of the same charge. But the extent to which facts are routinely distorted on such 'mainstream' channels is little short of astonishing. Each day we experience an utterly surreal Jekyll-and-Hide transformation, whereby the mood and atmosphere of the entire country automatically changes from 'sunny and bright' to 'dark and dismal'… just by switching from One Tv to NET on your remote control. It would almost be comical, if the effect wasn't so disturbing. We are genuinely expected to simultaneously believe two utterly incompatible impressions of the reality that surrounds us… by two parties that have every interest in distorting that reality beyond recognition. I mean, how gullible do they even think we are? Well, that is precisely the problem. I, for one, am gullible enough to believe a patently false report about a rock guitarist's death. Others will no doubt be gullible enough to believe any equally fanciful concoction, especially if it somehow fits in with their own worldview. Inevitably, the cycle will be perpetuated. So allow me to end my last column for 2015 with the traditional prediction for the coming year. I see a year of bullshit ahead, folks. It's going to be 365 days of total and utter hogwash, thrown at us all from every conceivable angle, from every conceivable source, all the bloody time. And of course, I wish all my readers the utmost joy and happiness for every second it lasts… $