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There is a journalistic code of ethics, much like the concept imbued in the Hippocratic oath for physicians, that encourages professional media to write responsibly. One could argue that it fails miserably given the ease at which unethical people manipulate the media tendency toward false equivalency into promoting falsehoods, but generally, professional journalists attempt to be responsible in their reporting. The same can’t be said for non-journalists who host evening opinion-slash-propaganda shows or the non-professional media such as blogs, partisan outlets, and the unprofessional and Anti-American extremist media that dominate today, but it is what it is.

The concept of writing responsibly extends to non-journalist writers – novelists, short fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, etc. – in the additional sense of taking care to avoid stereotyping, cultural appropriation, and other lazy writing whose superficiality can be both boring and damaging.

I experienced another question of writing responsibly in the midst of the dozens of presentations, podcasts, radio, and other media interviews associated with book marketing. At one point I received a request from the CEO of a nationally known podcast featuring a universally recognized political personality, who wanted me to appear on their program to discuss my book, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius. The podcast would have allowed me to reach an audience of millions. Yet, I had no hesitation in turning it down. Reasons included the past and likely future criminal convictions of the host, the podcast’s promotion of conspiracy theories, the ongoing attempts to undermine democracy, and the overall dishonesty of the host and guests. It was hard to imagine how we could have an honest discussion of Abraham Lincoln and his commitment to science and technology in a forum intentionally designed to be duplicitous.

This wasn’t about political views. I have given presentations and interviews to a variety of media organizations without regard to their political leanings. In a single day I was approached by staff writers for the left-leaning Salon and the right-leaning Fox News, both of which quoted me in their articles. I provided significant context for my remarks, which those outlets, and other media before and since, have at least attempted to provide to their readers notwithstanding their political agendas. I continue to believe that speaking to groups with varying views is the way to interject historical reality into the often “alternative fact” political universe we now live in. My rejection of the aforementioned podcast was because I refused to legitimize an outlet more closely associated with Mein Kampf than the Constitution.

The idea of writing responsibly arose again as I was reading Heather Cox Richardson’s new book, Democracy Awakening. Known nationally for her daily “Letters from an American” series, Richardson has gained international fame for her command of both American history and knowledge of the current political climate. In an easily understandable and fact-based prose, Democracy Awakening links the historical tactics of “conservative” forces with the present attacks on Democracy. She notes that self-avowed “conservatives” – both in history and now – are not conservative at all, but rather extremists seeking to hold power for the few through cynical manipulation of the fears of the masses by subtle and overt racism, bigotry, and misogyny. Outright lying has been a common tool throughout history, including the Nazi concept of “the big lie,” that is, lies so big that normal people find it hard to believe anyone could be so blatantly dishonest, so somehow it must be true (or at least, “true enough” to rationalize their actions). As we’ve seen, such deceit works way more than it should.

It must be reiterated that Richardson is historically accurate in her book. Everything she says is documented and her sources are provided for anyone wanting to check. Much of what she describes are historical facts of which I can confirm based on my own study of history. Richardson isn’t being partisan; she’s being honest. She is blunt without hyperbole, something the mainstream media seems incapable of (in the interest of “equivalency”) and the alternative media simply refuses to do (in the interest of both partisanship and greed). Another way to see it is that the mainstream media equivocate to retain ad revenues while the alternative media prevaricate to capture ad revenues. In neither case do they serve the American people. It’s all about the Benjamins.

It strikes me that Richardson does in her letters and in this book what the media do not adequately do – give the populace the facts. That includes telling us when a source is being intentionally dishonest or treasonous, not merely reporting their lies as if they were valid points of view.

Which gets us back to writing responsibly.

Very few of us have the kind of influence that Heather Cox Richardson possesses. But we do have some influence, whether it be limited to our families, our friends, our social and interest groups, our regions, our country, or the world. How might we use that influence? That’s a topic for a separate post in itself but suffice to say we must at least be careful in our writing to inform whomever we reach. If we write nonfiction, it behooves us to get the facts right. This applies to our verbal presentations and interviews as much as our writing. Even in our fiction we can write with understanding of our characters and audience, be they neurotypical or neurodivergent. We can address social issues through fictional scenarios as well as, and often better than, nonfiction treatises.

We can strive to write responsibly in whatever form that makes sense.

It’s the responsible thing to do.

Lincoln: The Fire of Genius is available for purchase at all bookseller outlets. Limited signed copies are available here. The book is also listed on Goodreads, the database where I keep track of my reading. Click on the “Want to Read” button to put it on your reading list. If you read the book, please leave a review and/or rating.

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David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America and Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America.