I was minding my own business, for the most part. But then again, this is the internet and getting into other peoples lives is the name of the business.

Recent political events have seen increased mention of a new social phenomenon. The narrative suggests that, almost suddenly, we as a society have become engulfed in a battle of alternative facts AKA rise of the post-truth era.

A friendly reminder sits at the footnote of every article on the New Yorker:

"Read something that means something" - A footnote in time 

I suppose packaging meaningless dribble as news serves no one but our political & capitalist feudal lords. Surely the times aren’t so bad, that journalists would churn falsehoods to keep their lights on…

I feel reassured knowing that the article that I just read ‘meant something’. Hopefully it meant something that is more relevant to the masses that the 4th estate meant to serve, and less relevant to the interests of billionaires & corporations.

Hungry for meaning I then bounce to another news site. Here I’m greeted by a sober gentleman with a rational offer:

"Do you want to cut straight to the facts?" - Anderson Cooper

Was this a case of a site knowing too much about my tastes and preferences? Why of course, I would be thrilled to jump straight to a fact.

But Mr.Cooper I’m afraid we’ll have to take a little trip down memory lane first.

News = Fact (psst not opinion)

By definition, ‘The News’ consists exclusively of facts. Propaganda, intellectual postures & public sentiment don’t belong in the news. These are typically ascribed other titles such as advertisements, editorials and letters. In a world of native ads, paid mentions and sponsored articles – the facts are an after thought – a business liability. But here’s a major Indian news publication, that seems to hang on to this antiquated notion of news.

Rise of the Hypnotic Monologue

My millennial brain is getting too old to adapt to the new realities of news. Maybe I should embrace these new formats of presenting facts.

If there is one news format that I despise more than the rest- its the monologue. A lone news anchor speaks for close to an hour about recent events. There is very little news, and a lot of anchoring. The tone is always melodramatic, riddled with alliteration. The lines between journalism and reality TV are blurred. A giant head chants messages to the masses who listen in silence, agreement and rage at 10 pm on a Wednesday night. What else are people supposed to do with a 65″ TV? Are you still with me Winston?

My Orwellian bro - Lawrence O'Donnell loves having 'The Last Word'

Mass Hysteria About Post-Truth

The notion of truth as a socially constructed event has been recognized in philosophical debates since centuries. In fact this is the foundation of social constructivism. In short:

Social constructivism holds that truth is constructed by social processes, is historically and culturally specific, and that it is in part shaped through the power struggles within a community.

Manipulation of the media has been a trusted and reliable arsenal for electoral politics since the 19th century. The only change is the pace, scale and ease of executing such maneuvers.

The punchline

News 24 x 7 = Noise. Live TV today is one of the primary drivers of the dilution and distortion of truths. Fox news & CNN are two ugly step children of the same poly-romantic umbrella corporations.

"TV News is suck" - Former US President [Fake quote]

"Everything has been said before" - Marilyn Manson [Not a Fake quote]

These marketing narratives malform truth as byte sized information that can be digested effortlessly. The truth is never obvious. One can never ‘cut’ to the facts. Anybody with serious commitment to fact finding would be disgusted by these over simplifications. Oh what’s that? No one is paying for this garbage and you have to give it away for free? That’s what I thought.