Commentary: What Does a Trump Win Say About Us?
Deborah Lockridge
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Deborah Lockridge
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The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States came as a surprise to many. In the December issue of the magazine, we try to bring you insight into what the Trump administration may mean for trucking and for the economy. But in this column, I want to talk about a couple of things that became evident surrounding the campaign that concern me. And I believe they should concern you, too.
The first is that many people apparently voted based on false, misleading, or biased information. Websites on both the left and the right of the political spectrum presented information that was biased, taken out of context, or outright fake. Fake news abounded, especially on Facebook.
As a journalist, and as a citizen, this scares me, as do Donald Trump’s attacks on newspapers and other outlets trying to report fairly and honestly. Democracy depends on an informed electorate.
At HDT, we try to bring you information and insight that will help you run your business more successfully. We don’t rely on a single source to do that, and neither should you. We talk to suppliers. We talk to associations. We talk to fleets. We talk to consultants. We talk to researchers. We read other publications, both inside and out of trucking. We report first-person observations. All in an effort to help you be informed and make better decisions.
I encourage you, whether you’re making decisions about your business or presidents or anything else in your life, to do the same. To do your own research. To rely on more than what pops up in your Facebook feed or on Twitter or your favorite TV or radio news/talk channel. To be skeptical and be your own fact-checker. To listen to the opinions of people whose viewpoints differ from your own.
