Now producers apparently feel that they have to interpret those stories for us and when they do, we too often don’t get just the facts but their interpretation of the facts.

Newspapers are a far better source of the news. I say this not because I am a newspaperman, but because the printed word offers fewer opportunities for bias. Newspaper stories don’t contain facial expressions or voice inflections that indicate which way the writer is leaning.

Yes, the news is bad and no, the media isn’t perfect, but we still need to stay informed, especially in a society that is in as much turmoil as ours is today. Still, more and more people are switching channels when the news comes on and canceling newspaper subscriptions.

As for getting the news on Facebook, well, there you are really asking for trouble. Stories on Facebook can be invented or manipulated to suit any perverted point of view.

A hacker, for example, could fabricate a story and place it on Facebook with my byline—or that of any other writer. He could make a piece of propaganda appear to be a legitimate news story and many people would take the message as the gospel truth.

Social media hacking—both foreign and domestic—undoubtedly played a role in the 2016 presidential election.

And as November approaches, it will become more and more prevalent on Facebook and Twitter. There are many out there who will use social media in an attempt to destroy both candidates.