New York mayor Eric Adams (bio here) tried to compose an inspiring Memorial Day message, but got himself ridiculed instead (see story here).
Speaking at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (website here), whose star attraction is the U.S.S. Intrepid, a World War 2 aircraft carrier preserved as a museum ship (details here), he told the crowd,
“The U.S.S. Intrepid is an amazing symbol of resilience. Under attack at Pearl Harbor, it endured. It stands for the sacrifice of our armed forces and our nation’s power to recover from tragedy. We still need that spirit today, and I honor the sacrifices that made it possible.”
Apparently nobody on his staff fact-checked this. Maybe he was speaking extempore. In any case, none of the U.S. aircraft carriers in the Pacific on Dec. 7, 1941 were in port that day. Those carriers were the Enterprise, Lexington, and Saratoga. The Intrepid was launched in April 1943 and entered service in August 1943.
Does it matter that Hizzoner got a minor detail of history wrong?
I say yes. It matters because we’re now living in an era of rampant misinformation and egregious political lies. That makes it important for leaders and influencers to get facts right.
Before the internet publishers, broadcasters, editors, reporters, and book authors were in charge of the information we received. (Also teachers and professors.) Journalism had high standards of accuracy and integrity of information (a little weaker now, but still high). Members of the public weren’t always well-informed, but they weren’t ill-informed as they are today.
The internet changed everything. When companies like Google and Facebook appeared, sucking ad dollars away from traditional news organizations drastically shrunk newsrooms and editorial staffs. Blogs and messaging apps proliferated where anyone could post anything, without editorial oversight or any accountability for factual accuracy, and the world was inundated with a tsunami of misinformation.
I suspect America’s educational standards have weakened, too. When I went to college, we had to write term papers, and you couldn’t get away with sloppy research or imprecise use of language. They taught you to do it right, because doing it right matters. (I’m pretty sure they still do at elite universities that produce many of today’s top journalists and book authors, because there’s still a lot of good journalism and writing if you go to the right sources.)
I wasn’t at the event, so I don’t know how much Mayor Adams’ remarks raised eyebrows. Some listeners caught the mistake, or it wouldn’t be a news story. As for why it is: Because facts matter.