It’s increasingly hard to know what the truth is in the news these days. Almost all of our national news programming tend to be slanted toward a particular group. Just listening to or watching a few episodes makes that abundantly clear. However, the news at its very core has no bias; it’s just the news. Whatever happened to good old journalistic integrity?
A main driver in the news today is our political climate. I believe the political divide in our country is beyond repair. Divisive politics pervades every aspect of our life. Sad but true, more evangelicals trust more in a political agenda than in a theological one to improve our world. According to a recent study, most church pastors today don’t have a biblical worldview.
Given their cynicism toward mainstream media outlets, many evangelicals turn to alternative news media outlets or opinion sites they agree with for “the news.”
Christian bloggers and alternative news sources serving the Christian community should not go with the flow of the mainstream media outlets. Rather, they should commit themselves to writing and reporting the truth. We must be good stewards of the platforms God blesses us with.
These days, anyone wanting to be a blogger or podcaster can be one. Just call yourself one and start writing or recording to your heart’s content. Similarly, anyone or any group can present itself as an alternative source for news reporting. That’s why Christians must be discerning about what they read, listen to, and act upon.
The Essential Standard for Christian Alternative News Outlets
Some bloggers and some alternative news sources appeal to Christians because they write about and report things of interest to the Christian community. Information Christians want to hear more of in the mainstream media but don’t.
This in and of itself, however, is not enough. A commitment to the principles of journalistic integrity must exist. To simply echo what caters to a segment of the Christian community serves no relevant value. And for those of us who serve the body of Christ through blogging, podcasting, and reporting; fake news is a complete disservice.
I believe that as a Christian writer and blogger, I must hold myself to the truth. I must not allow my content to be slanted toward political partisan rhetoric. The current events I choose to address should be rooted in a biblical perspective. As for the Word of God, I must always strive to provide a balanced presentation of it, as opposed to a denominational or subjective one. These are values I hold myself to.
It is reasonable to assume that mainstream media outlets will continue to fail to adequately address the interests of the evangelical community and to the Christian community at large. But so will Christian bloggers and alternative news sources if they fail to impose upon themselves a commitment to truthfulness and to balance.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.