True Enough Reflection

I thought that the first 25 pages of the book True Enough by Farhad Manjoo were really fascinating and eye-opening. Since I am very interested in the media and journalism, Manjoo's points about how people distort news to fit their own beliefs really made me question my own interpretation of the news. Right from the beginning I was engaged in the book when he stated, "No longer are we merely holding opinions different from one another; we're also holding different facts" (2). At first, this idea sounded ridiculous to me, since facts are basically set in stone. However, I think that Manjoo proves that this statement is actually true.

In True Enough, he uses several different cases to show how people can manipulate the truth. I was especially appalled at the case involving the girl who died of a disease related to AIDs; it was sickening that the mother didn't get her daughter proper treatment just because she didn't believe that HIV caused AIDs. This example definitely shows how dangerous it can be when twisting the truth. Manjoo also discusses the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and their plan to portray John Kerry as a dishonorable traitor during the Vietnam War. It amazed me that despite a total lack of evidence, many Americans still believed the veterans' campaign.

While reading this book, I was reminded of a concept that I learned in psychology class called confirmation bias. Confirmation bias basically says that humans tend to look for or pay attention only to information that confirms their own beliefs. In his book, Manjoo states, "Although information now flows more freely than it did in the past-- and this is certainly a salutary development-- today's news landscape will also, inevitably, help us to indulge our biases and preexisting beliefs" (17). I think that this quote shows how confirmation bias is playing a role in how we choose our news. Because there are so many media outlets today, we can easily pick what sources we want to follow, and usually these sources share the same views as us.

I am excited to continue reading True Enough to see what other real-life stories Manjoo will tell that exemplify how people can manipulate or create the truth. Like the author, I am curious as to "How can so many people who live in the same place see the world so differently?" (7).