Journalism Mandate

   One of the functions of modern news media is to bring out Truth and expose Falsehood.
   Politicians and candidates have been using more of the Big Lie technique than has been seen in many years. If you say something loud enough, often enough and long enough to enough people, it will gain credibility.
   Example: Governors who tout the wonderfulness of having balanced state budgets every year they were in office -- the implication being that others did not.
   Of course they balanced their budgets -- so did their predecessors and their successors, of every party, every year. Left unsaid is the reality that they had no choice. All governors must present a balanced budget every year.
   So why brag about something that is not really an accomplishment, but something they are constitutionally mandated to do? Because they hope people listen only to them, and will not listen to reporters or fact-checkers or will not look it up themselves. Try it: Search (your state) constitution budget.   It's long past time for moderators, news anchors, reporters and editors to call out candidates and politicians when they mouth something that may be technically true, but means nothing and may well be false.
   Who's doing it?
   Mitt Romney does it every chance he gets, bragging that he balanced the state budget when he was in office. He's a candidate, so we can expect a certain amount of balderdash and malarkey. But Chris Christie of New Jersey is doing it also, and he's not a candidate. Or is he?
   It's time for journalists to stop ignoring the semi-true statements that politicians make and bring back credibility.
   George Orwell, in his novel 1984, knew the value of constant propaganda.
   As did Goebbels.