It’s the eve of the recent New York Tabletop Market, and everyone in and around Forty One Madison seems more inclined at the moment, understandably, to discuss the night’s first presidential debate than the latest dining and entertaining trends.
He Said, She Said
It quickly becomes evident that judgment of the candidates’ performance is about to become yet another he-said/she-said exercise in who’s telling the truth than an evaluation of the effectiveness with which they debated their policy positions.
As a member of the media, it troubles me that the public’s faith in fair journalism seems to have been obliterated in today’s ratings- and circulation-driven, 24-hour mass news cycle, which often seems to reward being first and contentious more than being accurate and impartial.
To be sure, major news organizations have been unbridled in their political agendas during this unprecedentedly antagonistic campaign. But I’d like to believe the core principle of objective reporting, however it appears that some might try to stretch, obscure or omit the facts, is not forever stained.
We attempted such balance, free of overt political judgment or endorsement, with the recent cover story for our Top 100 Housewares Retailers issue laying out key economic policy proposals of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and the potential impact of those positions on the business climate for housewares (read the report at homeworldbusiness.com).
Understand The Facts
Regardless of who you choose to vote for and how very personal political instincts might guide what you believe, it is important to exhaust the myriad information resources available to you these days to hunt the truth— yes, the very same resources that make it easier to perpetuate falsehoods. This election will impact business, no matter who wins. Business leaders owe it to their companies to understand the facts, like them or not, on both sides.
Don’t discard as naive sentimentality the idea that honesty, however low it sometimes seems in today’s ethics code, should remain at the core of integrity in business, in politics, in journalism, in family and in life.
Nearly half of the American voters will be deeply disappointed on the morning of November 9th. For many, the truth of the election’s outcome will hurt. How to handle the truth then becomes the next big choice for everyone, the winners and the losers. Reluctance or negligence to seek and understand the facts could have deeper consequences.
Non-Partisan Cause
There will be many at which fingers will be pointed: the candidates, their campaign surrogates, the electorate and, yes, the media. Truth should stir emotion and opinion, but truth is in and of itself devoid of judgment. Truth should be a non-partisan cause not up for debate.
If it seems harder than ever to decipher the truth in today’s hostile political climate, that’s just more reason to work harder to find the truth.
Today’s unforgiving business climate— and so much more— depends on it.
And that’s a fact.
