It’s difficult, these days, to know what to believe anymore, isn’t it? Much of what used to be trusted journalism has descended into spin and propaganda – for the left, for the right, for people peddling their pet perspectives. On top of which, social media algorithms feed us more and more of what we consume, drawing many inexorably into the vortex of conspiracy theories.

Back during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, the media played a devastating role in inciting and amplifying violence. State-backed radio, television and print media broadcast and printed hate propaganda, dehumanising Tutsis as “cockroaches” and openly calling for their extermination.

It coordinated attacks, revealed hiding places, and encouraged ordinary citizens to kill. Rather than merely reflecting tensions, the media actively fuelled genocide, turning words into weapons. People believed them and acted upon them, demonstrating the terrifying power of propaganda when wielded without moral restraint or truth, costing close to a million lives in just 100 days.

Three millennia ago, wise old King Solomon wrote this:

Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (NIV)

It’s been said that ‘the people’ generally get the governments they deserve. I don’t know, but whatever governmental system you live under (and not everyone gets to choose) be careful, very careful, of who you support, what you choose to believe or reject, and what you choose to say.

Because so far as it’s up to us, our job is to help the righteous into authority so the people may rejoice … not blindly to regurgitate the propaganda that fills our news and social media feeds.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.