I'm so sorry, but Walter Cronkite is dead

Here's a final (for this year) reminder of V-E Day --- The Chariton Leader's front page of May 8, 1945, looking much like the front pages of most U.S. newspapers, large and small, of that date or soon thereafter. Complete with what sometimes is called "second-coming" type.

Newspapers were the "mass media" of the day and, supplemented by radio reports, the principal source of information --- both reliable and not --- for most of our forebears.

The "war" of today involves a virus --- COVID-19 --- and the information landscape has been altered beyond recognition. The Internet is our principal source now, certainly mine --- digital subscriptions to three newspapers as well as many other free sources.

But some things haven't changed, including our longing at the consumer end for news that reflects what we want to believe rather than what actually is happening. This is true across the political spectrum, although the right wing seems more susceptible.

My favorite example of that are posts (and in-person comments) to the effect that there would be no pandemic if the media just stopped reporting upon it. Which of course is not true, but does reflect the longings of many (if not most) for a return to "normal."

But here's a small truth: "Normal" isn't coming back, although a new "normal" will emerge. In the interim, we all need to be aware of our tendency to believe reports that reflect our desires rather than reality and to be skeptical of anything that seems too good to be true because, chances are it isn't true. That involves work.

One of the sadder quests I've noticed in recent days is the search by some for a single reliable source of information. I'm so sorry, but Walter Cronkite is dead.