Dear Editor:

I am concerned about the source and direction of our news coverage. Not only is coverage concentrated in fewer more powerful hands but these neglect local issues and push agendas of their managements as opposed to the public good.

When I was in high school, I remember a statement in my English book warning of the danger of slanted journalism. Now all journalism seems slanted, strongly either liberal or conservative. Where is the middle? There is evidence that local sources are losing coverage. Thank goodness we still have this paper with its editorial page, which reflects both sides, as well as the C-SPAN network which does also. The consolidation of our TV coverage is not a good thing.

Trump’s true believers rely on his “tweets” for their news and direction. Where does Trump get his news and direction? It seems mostly from Fox News, which leaves us with the unsettling question: who is really running the country? Trump has repeatedly said, “I’m the only one who matters.” Well, is it him or Fox News? Do we want the country governed by a TV network? I don’t. I don’t care who it is, including PBN, which I mostly listen to. I think we should heed and listen to all sources, TV and print, and decide for ourselves what makes sense and serves the public, and most conforms to what is good and true. We all have our biases – social, religious and ethical, and so do media outlets. We need to remember this and take it into consideration.

A greater danger is online social media – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. While it is great to keep in touch with family and friends, you run the risk of getting hacked, which happened to me on Facebook. People were getting messages that I did not send. And we now know that all about Cambridge Analytics and how the it was used by the Russians to influence our election process. All of this has led to a lot of cynicism in the electorate.

It behooves us all to consider all we watch, what we read, and also what we share on social media with others.

Frances Bredeau

Boothbay Harbor