An informed citizenry and the search for truth

Several years ago, I was involved in supporting a bill that now requires Illinois high school students to take at least one semester of civics to help them understand the requirements of citizenship and prepare them to participate in the democratic process. That effort was led by the Robert R. McCormick foundation which provides funding for efforts to promote democratic participation and to support high quality journalism.

Thomas Jefferson wrote that "an informed citizenry is the heart of a dynamic democracy" and is also "the best defense against tyranny."

Unfortunately, the proliferation of news sources, the ubiquity of the internet, fake news bots and hyper-partisanship make the task of determining the truth about our institutions and elected leaders more difficult. Several decades ago, we relied on three networks and numerous competing local newspapers to get most of our news. Reporters were expected to interview those on different sides of an issue and stories were reviewed by editors and fact checkers.

Of course, highly partisan screeds filled with falsehoods and innuendo are as old as the republic, but at least readers of that era knew the source of the news they were receiving. The internet, we have found, often disguises the source of the falsehoods and propels fake news across the globe at lightning speed. Fact checking and corrections follow far behind and are often ignored by consumers who subscribe to a particular point of view. In this era of political tribalism, too many people choose only news sources that already fit their political outlook.

The rise of the internet as a major source of our news has also decimated the business model for local newspapers, many of which are closing or severely reducing staffs to levels that deprive us of vital, fact-checked information. Budgets for investigative reporting for local newspapers are shrinking. while the internet and the cable-driven 24/7 news cycle leaves us with disposable journalism that prizes scoops over in-depth reporting.

To be an informed citizen in this era, you shouldn't expect the truth to find you. You have to find the truth by seeking out news sources that have earned your trust. It means not relying on any one source, but comparing different newspapers, networks or cable outlets to make up your mind on issues.

If you're following Facebook or Twitter, you can step out of your comfort zone and circles of like-minded friends to check out posts that challenge your point of view. If you find yourself in doubt about what our elected officials are saying, you can check in with respected fact checkers and make your own decision on the facts.

If enough people take these steps, we not only become better informed, but we can reduce the tribalism and hyper-partisanship that divides us as a nation and seriously hinders the workings of our democracy.

We must reject the idea that we are stuck in a "post-truth" society. The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said "everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own set of facts." It is up to all of us to navigate an increasingly complex media landscape and become the informed citizenry that Jefferson found essential to the life of our nation

Thom Serafin, a political analyst and former statehouse reporter, CEO of Serafin & Associates in Chicago.