The Library’s #DayofFacts

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3 responses to “The Library’s #DayofFacts”

1. 

   SECarlson

   February 19, 2017

   Ms. Flock’s article is an excellent example of a liberal story one can tell about the facts one chooses to embrace, and could result in a gross disservice to the libraries’ principals of freedom of expression and resistance to censorship. What we are seeing in colleges across is the country is a bias that suppresses the conservatory story about the facts. The issue of fake news is an interesting one, and one might question whether this label assumes that a predominance of fake news is originating from the right (current administration) or the left (the press, colleges, and universities). One might argue that both sides are to varying degrees incapable of actually realizing the truth. As just one example, how the press and Ms. Flock defined the travel ban as one against “predominantly muslim countries” uses “confirmation bias” and then the resulting “availability bias” to influence this as a “fact” of it being a muslim ban. If it was actually a “muslim ban” wouldn’t it include Indonesia and Egypt? On the other hand, if it is framed as a travel ban imposed on countries that have no effective governmental verification process of ones identity, doesn’t the “fact” you’re telling a story about appear to be quite different? Indonesia and Egypt have effective identification methods yet are the 2 largest muslim countries. Reducing the necessary discussions about border security to the issue of the legitimacy of sanctuary cities that are in direct defiance of federal law is another example of a well intended humanism that avoids discussion of what facts might arise from the continued inability to control our borders. After 8 years of an extremely liberal president and an agreeable press, it’s understandable that one’s ability to be objective as to how facts are presented would be compromised. None of us are immune to availability bias, so it’s imperative that as individuals interested in learning, we open our minds to different perspectives, broaden our understanding and then use our rational brains to make the best decisions we can. If this #dayoffacts becomes one more example of a left wing story that effectively shuts or shouts down conservative or contrary viewpoints, the purpose you propose to support, that of freedom of expression and the resistance to censorship will come up very short. At home and when away at work, I try to view equally CNN, mainstream media, and FoxNewsChannel, and it is quite amazing the different stories you hear about the same “facts.” Perhaps it should be “dayof#stories about the facts matter.” I’m hopeful that at Gustavus, unlike many other campuses, this can be an intellectual discussion on the facts and the stories told about them, and not a reactive, emotional one.

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   1. 

      Julie Gilbert

      February 20, 2017

      Thanks for your thoughts & for taking the time to comment. Certainly reading widely and examining different perspectives on news stories – and paying attention to how different news organizations present the stories – is important, as you note. At its core, however, day of facts is not about trying to suppress conservative viewpoints or elevate liberal ones. Instead it is meant to remind people that facts matter, that there are facts behind news stories, and that doing the kind of critical inquiry that you mention to explore those facts, and how they’re contextualized, is an essential part of being an informed citizen.

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2. Coloring and Facts | Informed Humane

   February 25, 2017

   […] In the words of participants themselves: “One of the most important sources of facts in our society is a free and independent press” (Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books at the University of Missouri Libraries). “A fact is an indisputable observation of a natural or social phenomenon” (The Field Museum). And finally, “facts matter, that information matters, that the open and free exchange of ideas matters” (Gustavus Library). […]

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