Arguments and Fake Claims

A main issue in our society today is how many people hear and believe fake news or nonfactual information. Jones talks about how many public arguments don't have facts or logic to enforce the points they are trying to get across. "What is often missing from these discussions is research, consideration of multiple vantage points, and, quite often, basic logic." (pg. 158) Jones presents the idea that some versions of arguments on T.V., radio shows, or even news programs can sometimes be like a circus. Jones later shows how in order to have a good argument all your claims must be valid so, if you're claims aren't true then your argument is invalid. 

The idea that people can report news without source checking themselves or the ideas they're presenting is ridiculous to me. Personally, I don't believe that news reporters should be giving out their arguments without having done all the research. When reporters give out false information in their arguments, it allows people's opinions to be changed and it becomes more difficult to get to the bottom of the issue. "When all angles are not explored or fallacious or incorrect reasoning is used, we are left with ethically suspect public discussions that cannot possibly get at the roots of an issue or work toward solutions." (pg. 160) Claims that aren't true should not be happening in arguments because a lot of people believe anything they read/hear on the internet and don't check the source. This leads to arguments becoming much harder to come to a fair and reasonable solution.

Reporters not doing their research leads to fake news. Fake news was a huge issue in our most recent election between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump. The fake news swayed people's perspectives on who they wanted to vote for and why they wanted to vote for them. This was all because certain reporters/news outlets didn't do their research and check that their facts were right. Since the outlets didn't check their sources or do research their arguments were invalid because their claims weren't true. 

The main solution to this very relevant problem would be that all news outlets/reporters always do their research and always fact check their claims. It is a very easy solution for a complicated issue. If news outlets gained background information before they presented their points for an argument, many people would be relieved. I personally always check my sources for information and make sure I complete the required research before getting into an argument that way I can make valid claims. Everyone should be doing this before starting an argument to help the issue become solved quicker.