When in doubt, leave it out....

     One of the benefits of attending a journalism school with a great reputation was that it attracted a wide array of guest speakers - many of whom were pretty heavy hitters in the media world -- all of them very willing to impart their wisdom upon us bright-eyed and eager reporters-to-be.

     So it was pretty darned cool that afternoon when ABC anchor and reporter Sam Donaldson came to speak to our class at Gannett Hall at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. I don't recall much of what he had to say - I'm sure the hour or so he spent with us included his telling tales of how he "made it" in the business, and numerous anecdotes about his encounters with presidents and heads of state.

    I'm quite sure there were heavy doses of "sage advice" from the ABC correspondent too.  I know this because one bit of his advice stuck with me over the years:  "when in doubt, leave it out."

    What Donaldson was talking about that day basically was this: if you aren't sure about a fact within a story - and it's not vital to your report - leave it out.

     I wish more of us would invoke, "when in doubt, leave it out" when it comes to posting items on social media tools such as Facebook - particularly in the area of politics.

     I have a very strong political point of view.  I have friends who have a point of view similar to mine.  When we meet, we often discuss the world through our shared prism.  I also have friends with a point of view that is totally dissimilar to mine.  For us, polite conversation turns to almost anything except politics.

     For some reason, the old bromide about never discussing religion and politics seems to go by the wayside when it comes to political opinions expressed on social media.  Some friends seem to think it's a good idea to post controversial political links and comments on their Facebook pages. 

     Note to them:  it's not.

     What you want to post is, of course, your business, but you certainly must realize that in today's polarized, red-state-versus-blue-state, liberal-versus-conservative, Democrat-versus-Republican, 50-50 country, you are probably ticking off about half of your friends with your highly charged political commentary.

     Sometimes that leads to only a good-natured back-and-forth online discourse.  Other times, it might lead to casual friends blocking you from their social media awareness, or ultimately, their lives.

     Do you really want to risk alienating or losing friends over something you post on a social media tool?

     And its not just friendships that are put in jeopardy.  We've all heard the horror stories about people who post incriminating pictures and stories on social media.  But what about the posting of contoversial political comments?  I am familiar with a person who runs a local business and posts vitriolic commentary about those with opposing views.  He runs a small, startup business.  One would hope those who would direct business his way wouldn't be affected by the stream of hate that comes from his keyboard.  But why would he take that chance?

     I feel fortunate to be able to take advantage of the social media tools that have been advanced in this, the back half of my life.  They allow me to reconnect with long lost friends, co-workers and relatives.  I'd rather not lose any of these hard-earned friendships over something I post on a social media tool. 

    If you feel the same way, then c'mon and join the cause and, "when in doubt, leave it out...."

    Just the ramblings of an ordinary average guy.