the way it is today

  I was remembering Paul Harvey and the rest of the story after reading a posting on Facebook. I thought we sure could use a bit of that these days. Those short stories always solved a mystery even when you didn't know there was one. I remember hearing him on the radio. At first his stories were just a segment on another show. He got his own program in 1976 that remained on air until his death in 2009. Interesting to note is that it was his son, Paul Harvey Jr. that wrote the majority of those pieces beginning in 1976. He lived to be one hundred. He passed away February 24,2023. Paul Harvey Sr. passed on February 28, 2009 at the age of ninety. Did you know he was also a concert pianist. That's a little of the rest of the story about Paul Harvey.

  The problem we have today is there are just too many stories. We can't seem to get to the rest of the story. What I'm saying is there doesn't appear to be a final answer. Prior to Paul Harvey we had Walter to tell us, "That's the way it is" every evening. There was no doubt about that, it was indeed the way it was. Exactly what it was, was left up to you to decide. That was the beauty in that. We weren't being told what to think or how to think. We were simply given the facts as they existed. The facts weren't run through the "does it fit the narrative" mill before being broadcast. The facts didn't care what political party it offended. The facts remained the same. It's a stark contrast to listening to the news today.  This is what Walter had to say, "The democratic system is challenged by the failure in television because our evening news programs have gone for an attempt to entertain as much as to inform in the desperate fight for ratings." I think he would be outraged if he could hear the "reporting" today.

  Now with Paul Harvey we got the rest of the story. It was an explanation that we could all understand and relate too. Often focused on historical events it did tell you what really took place. It always had that surprise ending. We learned about famous people and how they achieved their successes or failures. Usually, you didn't know who he was talking about until that surprise ending. That was followed by, "and now you know," the rest of the story. 

 Yes, the stories were generally upbeat and positive ones. They often contained messages of hope and encouragement. They showed how in the face of adversity the human spirit could prevail. Uplifting, you bet they were. We sure could use stories like that today instead of all the stories about being victims. Stories about our desperate struggle for inclusion and validation. Stories about deceit and corruption. That is the rest of the story we keep hearing today and it is depressing. I'm not hearing anything optimistic from any of the political pundits of today. All I hear are attacks and counterattacks. Optimism is being confused with fanaticism. Anger confused with activism. The truth has become offensive! 

  I was remembering Paul and Walter and a time when you could trust the news for reliable information. You knew going in that Paul Harvey was just going to tell you the whole story. You might call it trivia, the little known and misunderstood portions of history. With Walter he simply reported the news, the facts as he viewed them. I didn't know at that time he was a registered Independent. I didn't know he supported Bill Clinton or anything about his activism and fight against windmills. I didn't know his politics. 

 Today I listen to the news broadcasters and my feeling is they are simply reading what was written for them. I don't know their politics either, but the political leaning of their employers is certainly clear enough. And that's the big difference today. Today the news is scripted, written and prepared to present a story, push a narrative. We aren't told "the way it is" rather we are informed the way it should be. And only "government officials" know what is best for you. And that's the rest of that story.