LETTER

Society is willingly accepting the costs of free information

 

Fred Ryan nailed it in his November 23 editorial on the quality of information found on the Internet. Indeed, he serves us a timely reminder as to why we must be extremely vigilant when consulting online media sources. He also makes a solid case for the need to support independent newspapers, such as the Bulletin or Le Devoir, that promote real journalism, i.e., in-depth research and fact-checking. Quality journalism requires time and resources. As a journalist with such a vast experience in the field, Mr Ryan has surely experienced this firsthand.

His closing statement provides us with food for thought: free information comes at a cost. Judging by the recent American election, we may be heading in a direction where we seem to be collectively willing to accept these costs. The prevalence of lies during the campaign, and the ignorance—or, even worse, embracing—of these lies makes me wonder if people are actually interested in the truth or in the facts. I wonder what Harry Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit, would have to say about this.  

About Lucerne Road…
Concerning the city’s apparent ‘ill-advised’ decision to pave a bike lane on the shoulder of Lucerne Road: I will not reiterate other citizens’ comments on the usefulness of adding such a lane, but will instead ask a few questions to ponder on: What kind of message would the city be sending to its citizens by adding a third car lane? Should the city promote more cars on the road or more environmentally friendly solutions? Will a third car lane really solve the commuting problems from Aylmer? Could it be that our drive-solo car habits might be worth questioning?

Martin Pelchat
Aylmer