Jeff Hurvitz: Yesterday’s parody is today’s reality
For 50 years, Saturday Night Live has presented the comedic news parody “Weekend Update.” The original opening line by its host was: “I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not.” The spin on real news events has always been known to be fiction created for entertainment value.
These days, there is much fiction posing as real news. Far from eliciting much laughter, it is creating worry among responsible citizens of our country.
As we head to the super-charged election day of November 5, it is instructive to recall a time when the trust factor for news and information outlets was strong. There was often a detectable slant to the contents. But outright fabrication was hard to ever detect. Trust ruled the day.
In Philadelphia, TV network news programs on CBS and NBC did lean left while ABC skewed more to the right. In print, the Inquirer positioned itself to the left, but the Bulletin was more conservative. That was in the 1960’s.
Later in that decade, a balanced WCAU radio delivered opinions via the Talk format. A liberal Joel A. Spivack would be followed by a conservative Al Julius or Jack McKinney. That was followed in the 1970’s by a well-calibrated WWDB radio that clearly had hosts who ran the gamut, from the conservative Dominic Quinn to the liberal Frank Ford to the moderate Irv Homer. The constant that steered all local media with a wide range of political beliefs was credibility.
Now, in our Wild West days of social media, podcasts and all-news TV networks that individually appeal to specific audiences, attempts at conveyance of the truth seem to be at a minimum. Depending on one’s politics, information is accepted or rejected with little research.
It seems surreal that we have listened to claims that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were so out of control that they were eating cats and dogs. Outright denial by that city’s mayor and other officials was not sufficient for some to recognize the absurdity coming from the mouths of candidates for President and Vice President.
The recent disaster in North Carolina was fuel for the same Presidential candidate to declare that the federal relief agency FEMA was too slow to respond and was short-changing the monetary support. It gave birth to threats against its agents. The governor of that state, from the same party as the candidate, quickly refuted that incorrect statement.
Of course, there was denial of a presidential election outcome, despite the validation from over 60 federal judges.
In the opposing party, the candidate for Vice President recalled being present in Tiananmen Square during the 1989 demonstrations against the government of Red China. Upon research, that was disproved.
Many of us are still left wondering just how the Biden administration managed to create the storm that rocked North Carolina. That had been the assertion by a member of Congress, who had earlier stated that something referred to as Jewish space lasers created fires in California. When will the craziness stop?
As more citizens engage in departures from reality — from recreational drugs to alcohol overconsumption, to immersion in cell phones, to social media overdose — this pattern will seem to continue. It is time we resolve to rely on trustworthy news sources.
For example, if one reads both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times each day, you get credible sources that have noticeable slants without the incorporation of lies. But that takes reading and too many Americans would rather not do that required work.
Saturday Night Live has been a laughing matter for so many for so long. But as we head into the world’s most important election, distortion of the facts, and outright lies, are most serious.
Jeff Hurvitz (jrhurvitz@aol.com) is a freelance writer and Philadelphia native.
Once again I am shocked and appalled by Broad and Liberty allowing an article that relies on common sense instead of innuendo. Mr. Hurvitz is correct both Walz and Trump have lied. There is a difference.
When Trump doubled down in the debate and continued to claim that Hattians in Springfield, OH were eating cats and dogs. He placed an entire community at risk. The town of Springfield received over 30 bomb threats forcing the closing of schools and public buildings and police escorts were required for public school busses. Trump has gone on to threaten to deport these same Hattians, if elected, who are here legally and have done nothing wrong.
Walz’s lie only hurts his own reputation, when Trump lies he hurts others.