572 – Fourth estate – False estate

U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Google and other tech companies of ‘rigging’ on-line news searches in a manner biased against ‘conservative’ voices. The situation has become serious enough that the White House is considering whether such companies should be subject to some government regulation, a risky precedent to say the least.

It is the failure to establish ‘evidence’ of such ‘bias,’ say Trump’s opponents, that Trump’s claim is questionable. However, it is indisputable that the problem identified by Trump is real – even as many continue to dispute it.

The established media on the Left has framed the entire debate as a conflict between Trump and the media. But the real conflict is strictly within the media: between an old and corrupt ‘fourth estate’ that has degenerated into a ‘false estate’ – and a new emerging ‘fourth estate’ beginning to take form.

So despite his charges of media bias, it might be surprising to learn that Donald Trump actually trusts certain news sources. Apparently, near the top of his list is the Epoch Times, an on-line and print media source (published in 35 countries and 21 languages) that has a mission statement dedicated to “providing readers with an objective, informed perspective on issues that matter to them. In our approach and in our content, we uphold universal human values, rights, and freedoms.”

With an explicit publishing philosophy of ‘truthful uncensored reporting,’ on China, the paper has also applied that principle to its coverage of news in other countries around the world.

“For instance, while other media have reported for over a year that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election, The Epoch Times has consistently pointed out that an investigation by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, ordered by then-president Barack Obama, had found no evidence of collusion. That is something that was confirmed last month by a yearlong investigation by the House Intelligence Committee,” says the paper in its Apr 19 print (Canadian) edition.

Our quick review of many of the recent features in the Epoch Times suggests that Trump has good reason to appreciate its approach to the news. From its accurate accounting of US politics to news from inside China, some may find it refreshing to discover a new source that can deliver the news in a way that is Just Right.