SALT LAKE CITY — More than a decade ago, Oct. 17, 2005, the media world changed. We just didn't know how drastically at the time.
That was the day comedian Stephen Colbert first used the term "truthiness" on his satirical show "The Colbert Report" to describe something that feels like a truth, or someone thinks is a truth, but there aren't facts to back it up.
Wikipedia — which itself is sort of true, except when it's not — describes it this way: "Truthiness is a quality characterizing a 'truth' that a person making an argument or assertion claims to know intuitively from the gut or because it feels right without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts."
The term was used during the George W. Bush years. It was an attempt to describe troubling big news stories, including the Iraq War, which was based in part on "evidence" later discredited. That sent politicians, the public and journalists down a path of questioning not just facts, but the motivations for the words uttered by so-called experts. It revealed the role an appeal to emotion can play in convincing someone to support a position or policy — or a falsehood.
Now, a few presidents later, we've been introduced to the labels "post-fact world" "fake news" and "alternative facts" — all labels describing some effort to distract from the truth, appeal to emotion or as an effort to describe what someone simply wants to believe because they want to believe it.
It makes it harder to seek out news stories of real importance in your life.
May I suggest four stories, written by Deseret News staff writers over the past few weeks, that can lift your understanding of pertinent, contemporary issues and that will help you and your family make important decisions as you navigate life.
• On marijuana: Should you support the medical use of marijuana? Is there anything to worry about here? Can it actually be less risky than a powerful prescription painkiller?
Read Jennifer Grahm's piece headlined: "Into the weed: What Utah can expect if medical marijuana is legalized." It explores one woman's journey using medical marijuana but also discusses the consequences of legalization in states that have taken that step.
• On assisted suicide: Assisted suicide is legal in six U.S. states under specific conditions, while in Europe there are much more lenient policies that will surprise you. Is this a slippery slope? Why are people with disabilities nervous about this? And what is being done now legally in the U.S. to alleviate the pain suffered by those who are nearing death?
Don't miss Eric Schulzke's piece headlined: "Why one Utah woman is planning to end her life on her own terms."
• On battling youth suicide: This story by Jesse Hyde ran online at deseretnews.com in December and is one of the most impactful stories about suicide (and how to prevent it) that you'll likely ever read. The reaction to this story resonated in schools throughout the state and helped many families searching for answers. "The Lone Peak Story: What you didn't know about affluence and teen suicide."
• On power in Utah: This Sunday's profile of Utah Speaker of the House Greg Hughes by Daphne Chen and Jesse Hyde is a compelling exposé of political power, money and reveals how something legal may not be ethical. It's the story of one man whose journey raises eyebrows and intersects with some of Utah's most notable people.
There is excellent journalism here and it can be a resource for you to make up your own mind about important issues.
Sadly, Stephen Colbert was on to something when he coined the phrase truthiness, so much so that truthiness was named the Word of the Year for 2005 by the American Dialect Society, among others. But there is strong journalism out there, you just have to work a little harder to find it.