Speculation

Assumption, Gossip, Facts, News

It is a new year and yet, what we attempt to learn everyday to better educate ourselves to world events, local happenings, weather, sports, politics and even opinion pieces that could affect you in your daily participation in society and possible future decisions.

Instead of the single source established journalist following respected reporting checked and fact check following the AP Stylebook and approved by editors; today we are barraged from every side by statements classified as ‘news’.

Speculation is a form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence.

Speculation is conjecture, theorize, hypothesize, guess, surmise, think, wonder, and muse.

Assumption is deciding on what suppose to be the case, without proof.

Assuming is to presume, suppose, take it (as given), take for granted, take as read, conjecture, surmise, conclude, deduce, infer, reckon, reason, think, fancy, believe, understand, gather, or figure.

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as ‘dishing’ or ‘tattling’.

Gossip has been researched in terms of its origins in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means for people to monitor cooperative reputations and so maintain widespread indirect reciprocity. Indirect reciprocity is a social interaction in which one actor helps another and is then benefited by a third party.

A fact is a thing that is known to be consistent with objective reality and can be proven to be true with evidence. “Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States” and “Abraham Lincoln was assassinated” are both facts. All of these statements have the epistemic quality of being onto logically superior to opinion or interpretation — they are either categorically necessary or supported by adequate historical documentation. Conversely, while it may be both consistent and true that “most cats are cute”, it’s not a fact. Facts transcend belief and serve as concrete descriptions of a state of affairs on which beliefs can later be assigned.

The usual test for a statement of fact is variability — that is whether it can be demonstrated to correspond to experience. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by experiments or other means.

News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. It is also used as a platform to manufacture opinion for the population.

Common topics for news reports include war, government, and politics, education, health, the environment, economy, business, fashion, and entertainment, as well as athletic events, quirky or unusual events. Government proclamations, concerning royal ceremonies, laws, taxes, public health, and criminals, have been dubbed news since ancient times. Humans exhibit a nearly universal desire to learn and share news, which they satisfy by talking to each other and sharing information. Technological and social developments, often driven by government communication and espionage networks, have increased the speed with which news can spread, as well as influenced its content.

The genre of news as we know it today is closely associated with the newspaper, which originated in China as a court bulletin and spread, with paper and printing press, to Europe.

So in my local newspaper today, as posted on Facebook page scroll, I see a story that might be interesting to read.

 

Then I notice the sideline of  “with Locke & Quinn”. Then I see the second line “Paid Partnership”.

Since this was presented under the masthead of  “Richmond Times-Dispatch” I thought it might be a new service like Associated Press or United Press International or perhaps a pair of investigated reporters with a new byline.

On closer inspection this is “Sponsored Content”. Locke & Quinn are personal injury and family law attorneys.

I’ve noticed on the Richmond.com page under the categories for news reports including Local News, Fire, Crime, Police and Fire News, Virginia News, Business News, Food & Drink News, Sports News, Opinion (or Editorial), Entertainment News and then another column called “Sponsored Content”. 

This is an advertisement. They used to be called ‘advertorials’ or client written articles and were kept in separate sections and declared as a ‘Paid Advertisement’ but like everything else we are exposed to now the validity of the statements are up to the reader to decide in a game of ‘True or Dare’.

No news reporting organization can have enough reporters, journalist, and even interns, to cover every story. So whether if it is an hour time slot or a page of newsprint, the stories have to be shuffled to the most important to know, then the ones relative to the distribution location. These organizations have always used sport scores phoned in and social meetings mailed to the newsroom and even pre-printed schedules and notifications.

The Internet can now flood a newsroom with everyone’s viewpoint by tweets, text, photos and videos. If the news organization doesn’t post or explore or fact-check what could be a story, social media is more than happy to post facts or fiction.

The news consumer now needs to be speculative of news or gossip or assumptions or, as in this case, a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea.

BEWARE!!