Do Journalists Report the Truth?

Anybody would agree that truth is vital in journalism. Unfortunately, many people have lost their confidence in journalism and no longer see it as reliable. People must realize that there is a difference in a journalist’s truth and an absolute truth. As we have discussed in class, journalistic truth is a process. Journalists report on the facts, but stories evolve as new elements of stories surface. This does not mean the journalist who reported a story that has evolved reported falsehoods. If the public wants immediate news, they must understand that in a matter of days or even hours, there will be more to the story that was not originally reported.

Do I think stories get exaggerated sometimes to appeal more to the public? Yes. And while there are those in the profession who are easily persuaded by money and bribes to tell a slightly twisted story, there are also moral journalists out there doing their best to capture and report truth. Like any other profession, business, or industry, there is corruption in journalism. That should be no surprise. It also should not be a reason not to believe anything that is being reported. The public has a responsibility to weed out the unreliable sources. If it is truth they seek, they also have a responsibility to keep up on the updated stories published rather than just reading the initial report.

Another related topic to this is citizen journalism and the role it plays in reporting truth. Citizen journalism has become very influential in reporting. Check this interesting article on "Citizen Journalism and the capital 'T' truth."