Wanted: Truthtellers

{I’d like to apologize for the delay of this post and for missing last week. I always get excited for the start of the semester but am usually challenged by getting into the groove of my routine. Hopefully, things will begin to fall together.}

In the U2 stong, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bono sings this line, “And it’s true we are immune, when fact is fiction and TV reality, and today the millions cry, we eat and drink while tomorrow they die.” I’ve always loved the song and its political call, particularly this verse. These lines were written decades ago when TV was only beginning to be filled with reality programs and mindless garbage meant to distract us from reality. Recently, some clips of Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer came into my Instagram (yikes! why?), and Oh Lordy! What horribly toxic crap those shows peddled. At the time though, TV had not yet become the 24-hour news cycle although it did come along pretty quickly. As a result, so many news programs became “entertainment”, meaning, they were filled with (IMHO) non-stories, lies, and “reporting” that sowed the seeds of misinformation and division. Since the rise of L’orangina (aka, tRump) in the political sphere, facts and truth have become elusive things. What bothers me most is how many journalists or should I write “journalists” (and you can probably figure out the people I am talking about), are not just giving the Big Liar a platform but they are also actively perpetuating his lies. I long for truth-tellers and have actively sought them out: journalists and show hosts who had the integrity, grit, and research skills (or a team of researchers) who made it a mission to debunk the often hysterical claptrap that was being sold as “news” and “facts”.

I know I have a list of journalists that I deeply admire for their efforts to be purveyors of truth–and I can say without hesitation that the Palestinian Journalists, many of whom have been murdered by Israel—fall into my hero category. As does, Oriana Fallaci.

This spring, I had the amazing opportunity to interview Anastassia (Stacy) Rubis, author of “Oriana: A Novel of Oriana Fallaci”. Stacy wrote a beautiful, compelling novelization of the journalistic phenom, Oriana Fallaci. If you don’t know who she is, she was an Italian journalist who was hailed as “the greatest interviewer of her day”. A trailblazer in many ways, not the least of which was being a woman in a male-dominated field in the 60s and 70s. She interviewed Henry Kissinger, Yassar Arafat, Golda Meir, and a long list of The Most Powerful People in the World. Reading her work is compelling but perhaps the most impressive aspect of her work style, was that she asked the important and often uncomfortable questions. She did not abide bullshit. In my interview with Stacy, we discuss what it would be like if Oriana were still alive and had done an interview with the Big Liar.

There are so many fascinating stories about Oriana, that I invite you to do some digging on your own. You can check out this interview clip: Oriana Fallaci on Interviewing Henry Kissinger | The Dick Cavett Show

And, really, if you want to get to know Oriana, I encourage you to read Stacy’s book. I could not put it down!.

Listen to our interview on Tutto Italian on Radio Kingston.

And check out Stacy and the book!!