We need to stand up for our rights with regards to transparency and accountability in all things

BY STEVEN KASZAB

There are many cases where information is passed onto the media and public domain, promoting “researched” studies, polls and the like. The National Association of Home Builders carried out a study that says costs per square foot for a single-family construction rose at more than twice the inflation rate last year. Consumer price index rose 8% in 2022, but the medium square footage price jumped 18%. Costs rose highest in the pacific and central regions of the country, while the figure was a bit lower in other regions.

This organization works for its members, house builders. Do you think their studies could have been tainted to explain why new builds initiated through governmental encouragement remain highly priced items?

The tobacco, or wine and spirits industry support polls and studies showing just how healthy their products are, as natural as mother’s apple pie. Do you think these agencies that work for such industries have been influenced by their employers? Have they published the truth? If a few polling firms, along with a few advertising agencies were to promote a particular message like “Justin Trudeau is a Devil Worshipper,” or that “Pierre Poilievre is the second coming of the Messiah,” and they have the polls and some facts to back it up, are their messages true? Does Justin Trudeau wear horns and dance the Charleston?

When a business is accused of endangering the environment and public what does it do? It hires a public relations firm who arrives with poll numbers and data that proves beyond a shadow of doubt that the firm is a pillar of the community, and its CEO can walk on water too.

Our system of government and the business sector have become experts in the management of what is false, and what is the truth according to their interpretation. A member of Ontario’s Legislature said, or implied something that enrages the point of view of a political or ethnic group. What happened to her? She is cast out from the political fold (the caucus), isolated, demonized by people who do worse things than she is accused of doing. She does not have wealth, political, or economic power and influence to fight back. Were those accusations against her justified? Has not every person on this planet not said, or did something that is offensive to another? The media jumped upon this person, publishing her “crimes” but certainly not her true story.

Information acquired and amassed by professionals can be manipulated and interpreted in many ways. If you can afford to change the true narrative, there is nothing stopping this process. Government agencies attempt to handcuff such practices, but if there are no complaints, they cannot act. Privacy protection is a pivotal part of these agency mandates. How can they recognize all the millions of attempts by the private sector to change a narrative, fill the process with many white lies and redirect their efforts towards something less challenging?

Imagine a food processor who has shipped millions of chickens out of its processing plant, and they have Salmonella poisoning. It was either known before the shipment, or passed to shipping without being noticed, and are now all over the country. What to do? If the private firm is honest, they will make every effort to: reverse the process, bring back the poisoned product, warn the public of the error, ask if any of said product is in their possession to return it to the grocery for refund, or destroy the product. The proper procedure.

In the USA and Western Canada food processors have tried to ignore such a process, hoping that no one will get ill, hoping to maintain their profit lines. Should the poisoning begin to be noticed, their lawyers and ad agencies will offer the firm’s heartfelt concern and suggest they are working diligently to find the problem. Ignore, redirect, falsify, payout.

A political party with increasing polls wants to crush their opposition. So, through social media, or perhaps within distant small media outlets they let it be known that their opponent’s leader is possibly a: Satanist, supporter of disregarded national groups like Palestinians, a gambler, or an alcoholic. No one will know how, or by whom these false charges were initiated, and the media will say they have a right to acquire and publish such charges.

Donald Trump’s political machine focused their entire movement upon the logo of “Make America Great Again.” Was it ever great, or did it lose that label? Create the impression that a falsehood is real, meaningful to the masses and you have a winner on your hands. Will it work again, come the next American election? Will wait and see.

“Thou shall not bear false witness upon another” (Exodus 20.16). A biblical imperative don’t you think? It makes sense, is psychologically and socially profound, and yet an entire economic system allows such challenges every day.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire, “ was said by most children to one another, calling for honesty and clarity instead of falsehoods. Why can’t adults be so innocently sincere? If the media and all its trappings can divine that their purpose is to tell the truth, why do they allow the private sector to divert them from that message?

Money and profit, I guess. Where have all the honest people in the world gone? Far, far away it seems. Guess we need to stand up for our rights with regards to transparency and accountability in all things. There is no one else who will, folks.