Do journalists tell the truth?

Question

do journalists report with a unbiased view ? and what effects the view they take in their articles?

Answer 1

I have to agree with both "Scribepalladin" and "Wdx2bb".

The majority of newsmen try to tell the truth but there are always factors that affect the accuracy of their reports.

1)  A person's individual bias. Nationality, culture, experiences all affect how a person thinks, and these affect the way they report. Most reporters attempt to overcome their biases but it is difficult.

2) Speed of having to send back a report to their pare/radio station/TV station. A person cannot obtain all the relevant information in a quick enough time to be completely accurate. Often the reporter will send back what he knows and has been told, and later will have to amend what he/she has reported.

3)  What he is told by eye-witnesses or has be given by official sources such as police, military etc. Not all eye-witnesses are accurate and quite often the police, the military or other government departments deliberately miss-inform the reporter.

Answer 2

Anyone who is human is never going to be completely objective. The best journalists strive to give both sides of an issue equal weight so that readers or viewers can come to their own conclusions,

Answer 3

Telling the truth is absolutely the goal of every journalist I've ever known, and I've known quite a few.  There are plenty of obstacles, including sources who deliberately lie, inability to get all facts in time to meet a deadline, and the inevitable misunderstandings that occur anytime two people communicate.  

Anyone who says that making money is more important to a journalist than telling the truth has never met a journalist, and has never seen a journalist's bank account either.  

Answer 4

somtin=mes

Answer 5

Remember the media is there to make money not to report news, the same as the banks are not there to hold our money, they are there to make their own. Therefore, no they are not totally truthful and unbiased. They want to sell papers and get more people tuning into their channels so they can tell businesses to advertise on there if they want good returns. Henceforth, the media will generally report the most shocking stories first and if they can make them even worse (by editing footage - technically not lying and also getting exaggerated statements) they will.

Answer 6

I'd merely add that journalists often tell what people tell them on the record and then print it. Sometimes that's the truth. Sometimes it isn't. And sometimes there are no ways of telling the difference, which is why those comments get printed.

Answer 7

“The press is the hired agent of a moneyed system, set up for no other reason than to tell us lies where their interests are concerned.”

- Henry Adams

Answer 8

No one tells the truth 100% of the time. No one! The view they take is affected by their inner bias on the subject or the person.