Kafofin watsa labarai na yau da kullum suna nufin su zama masu dacewa da mutane da yawa gwargwadon iko, saboda dalili mai sauƙi: yawan masu kallo yana nufin yawan kuɗi. Sakamakon wannan, wanda ba a yi niyyarsa ba sosai, shi ne wani irin rashin imani ga gaskiya.

Mainstream media aims to be as relevant as possible to as many people as possible for the simple reason that more viewers mean more money. The not-so-unintentional consequence of this is a kind of nihilism about the truth.

Gaskiyar magana ita ce CNN, Fox News, ko kwamitin edita na New York Times ba sa damuwa sosai da gaskiya. Irin waɗannan kafofin sun takaita kansu ga "kawo muhawara" da "rufe bangarori daban-daban na batu" kawai. Amma ba kowane batu ne ke da bangarori da yawa ba, kuma ba kowane al'amari ne ke bukatar muhawara marar iyaka ba. Wasu batutuwa ana iya warware su cikin sauki, ko kuma a iya magance su yadda ya kamata ta hanyar bincike da nazari mai kyau. Amma sai dai 'yan batutuwan da aka yi ittifaki a kansu, kafofin watsa labarai na yau da kullum suna iya kokarinsu wajen guje wa warwarewa. Suna yin hakan ne ta hanyar kara karfafa muryoyin da suka fi yada rashin sani, son zuciya, da ra'ayoyi marasa hankali.

The truth is not something CNN, Fox News, or the New York Times editorial board are really interested in, frankly. Outlets such as these have relegated themselves to merely “fostering debate” and covering “all sides of an issue.” But not all issues have multiple sides and not all matters require endless debate. Some issues are easily resolved or can be satisfactorily addressed through some quality research and analysis. But outside a handful of topics of consensus, the mainstream media tries its best to avoid resolution. It does this by amplifying the most misinformed, biased, and irrationally opinionated voices.

Ina wa mai fassara littattafan Musulunci daga Turanci zuwa Hausa. Ban fassara wannan saƙo ba saboda ba rubutun littafin Musulunci ba ne; ina buƙatar ka aiko da rubutun Musulunci da kake son a fassara shi.

Consider the gun “debate” that crops up every 5 to 6 weeks in the news cycle in the US. Despite all appearances, there are clear answers to some of the fundamental questions everyone should have about gun violence, homicide rates, mass shootings, etc., and even if we don’t have answers now, at least there are research methodologies that can be pursued in a rational, scientific way to address those questions. Anyone who is sincerely interested in the truth of the matter would want to follow those methodologies in seeking robust answers. With all its resources, the mainstream media should be responsible for conducting such research and/or enabling those who can do so, and then disseminate the results far and wide. And if the results are still ambiguous, then at least the pursuant conversation would be an informed one.

Amma abin da kafofin watsa labarai ke so ba shi ba ne. Domin ba sa sha'awar gaskiya. Abin da suke sha'awa shi ne yawan masu kallo/karatu, kuma hakan yana nufin biyan bukatar mafi ƙanƙantar matakin fahimta. Kuma idan aka yi la'akari da mummunan halin da ilimi da karatu suke ciki a Amurka — musamman idan ana maganar nazari mai ma'ana, kimiyya, da sauransu — wannan matakin fahimta yana da ƙasa ƙwarai.

But that is not what the media is interested in. Because they are not interested in the truth. They are interested in viewership/readership and that means catering to the lowest common denominator. And given the abysmal state of literacy and education in the US — especially when it comes to logical analysis, science, etc. — that common denominator is quite low indeed.