By Don Farley

In December 1994, three friends wandered into a cave after removing a rock slide that happen more than 29,000 years ago that blocked a passageway in France' Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave. Inside were six chambers of panels containing lions in pursuit of herbivores; bison; engravings of owls and woolly rhinoceroses; a charcoal portrait of four wild horses; and other images of ice-age beasts. This picture story frozen in time of many extinct animals.

Historical writings of Egyptian hieroglyphics to Sumerian Cuneiform has taught us much about the past. Language was basically a subject and action. Later adverbs and adjectives helped to better understand the action. " The ferocious lion bloodily killed the timid giraffe" gives a much better picture of what happened.

Communication is the development of the message, the way the message is sent (voice, written, television, or pictures), and how the message was received . The development of the message will include the speaker's facial expression and the speaker's tone of voice. The same message given in a calm tone or angry tone will relay a completely different message.

Deleting part of a message can change the whole meaning. Example [1]. A boy kills an old lady. [2]. A juvenile delinquent with a history of violent crimes brutally killed an old lady and stole her money. The first message leaves so much for the receiver to ponder as to what happened.

Comprehension of the message will depend on listener's knowledge of the subject, their receptivity to the message, and their trust of the messenger. Their interpretation of the message may be influenced by past experiences, attitudes, knowledge, and cultural influences.

Most Americans (59%) feel that the news media should present the facts and not their interpretation according to a Pew Research survey. Trust played an important part as to whether the news story was believable. The survey also found that Republicans and Democrats were more likely to treat opinion statements as factual when they appealed most to their side.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn said: "“You know, that is one of the consequences of the weak sense of responsibility of the press. The press does not feel responsibility for its judgments. It makes judgments and attaches labels with the greatest of ease. Mediocre journalists simply make headlines of their conclusions, which suddenly become generally accepted.”

We need to return to ethical journalism. Americans deserve to know the truth.