Reporting The Truth

Reporting The Truth

By Paul McCann

Jesus died on the cross before journalism ever could report what happened and yet the story was told .  Imagine how journalists today would report that . The headlines might look like , The Day They Crucified The Truth .   “Which facts would be included in the story? Which of the reported events would be in the first paragraph? Which story will be  displayed on page 1 and which buried inside or discarded? .Mass media not only report the news they also literally make the news ”. (Lee and Solomon 1990)  The  impact of proper investigation is an accepted role journalists must use . The fact is over two thousand years later the story of Christs crucifixion is a story never forgotten and the truth that was revealed has had an impact on people for many generations  all over the world . The point to this is that stories based on truth can last a long time while hear say and rumours are forgotten quickly ..

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” Proverbs 12:19 Deception is a device that hides or misleads other’s . It can confuse and bring a lack of understanding when used to give an honest report of the fact . Deception is a form of treachery and the use of that in journalism is an insult to intelligent people . It was stated by  Benjamin Franklin , “Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don't have brains enough to be honest “ We are living in a modern world with social media always at the front of reporting news around the world . It is vital that the facts are presented by those who become journalists of the day . A smart world requires educated journalist who intent to tell the whole truth to an ignorant audience awaiting their story .It would be unfair to tell lies to those who require the real truth of what is going on .      

Ethics and integrity is a value journalists and those in the media must have when reporting . In addition to telling the truth to the public in 2015 a project at the University of Melbourne undertook research aimed at exploring and improving journalism practice, with an emphasis on public interest and community interaction. Significant outcomes will be achieved by closely linking research aimed at journalists, media executives to discuss the improvements in the way the media interacts with its community. In partnership with The Age, students investigated  issues that mattered to the voters who will decide election results. The impact of this kind of in depth reporting and its associated social media presence on the conduct of the campaign investigated the success of this exercise as an example of journalism . The power of the media can sway voters during election time as well as assist in marketing products . When ever you read a published article a way to see if the use of ethics are used is to ask the question ,  what does the author have to gain from writing that . There is usually an alternative motive behind what the article is  such as a published book would  be recommended for a better understanding of what’s going however it is not a credible source of information . When somebody writes some interesting ideas about a topic for a magazine or a periodical it is to make a profit or personal gain rather than to use ethics as a guideline . As a result  those journalist are employed to sell newspapers or other articles usually published weekly or monthly  .

On the contrary , a great deal of the population enjoy reading scandal and other comments that would defame the reputation of those who are in the public eye . It has to be said that sensationalization sells newspapers   . Its  what the public want therefore Journalists provide fodder for the hungry minds of the general public . Today there is a leaning towards journalists using storytelling and more creativity in their articles to give written it a broader picture demands a dissecting of the information .  The general public are   not interested in complex  information that are written in a language style that they cannot understand so journalists try to create visually exciting images with lots of colour and pictures in their stories . Some examples of popular sources of journalism can be found are in Time Magazine , The Economist and National Geographic.  The public love pictures and stories . These periodicals are giving many writers , caricature artists , photo journalists and advertising gurus a living .(Wang & Cohen 2009) The use ethics is not an issue that is used by many in this field . They provide what the pubic want . The use of deception in journalism can be used as a strategy to handle difficult resources such as political persuasion as well as protection of identity and when a journalist is confronted in a life threatening situation therefore the use of self defence is a mechanism driven by deception .  

Although safety measures in journalism are geared to protect they can have an adverse effect such as in the use of misinterpretation that can mislead and add fuel fire to conflicts around the world as well as create fear in the minds of the public . Too many secrets create untruths and speculation . Many words are spoken but the truth is never told . As a result journalism is not governed by ethics but by what ifs and complexities . Some studies were conducted on news content analysis in 14 countries compared the use of sensationalism appearing in four types of media systems. The study examined the relationship between news frenzy and  professionalism of all these countries. Results revealed that crime-, accident-, and disaster-related news remain the staples of the content in news across those countries.  Although safety measures in journalism are geared to protect they can have an adverse effect such as in the use of misinterpretation that can mislead and add fuel fire to conflicts around the world as well as create fear in the minds of the public . Further it had been stated that he role of NBC Nightly News and Fox News Channel's in 2005 Iraq and Afghanistan war. According to the administration and their supporters argued that this negative coverage turned the public against the war in Iraq and against the President. however, this study shows that in many important ways both networks underreported the violence in both countries. The power of the media has a powerful role and can change the thinking of others by presenting topics such racism to fragile parts of society that is at threat by violent acts  played out on the streets . This kind of reporting incites hatred and violence  as well as implementing fear giving cause to defend against possible hostility.

Mahatma Gandhi once said , “Truth never damages a cause that is just.” 

 The truth cannot be crucified or deceived. It is the duty of reporters to be true to their word . Journalists have a job to do and it is to report the facts that leave a legacy for future generations . History is and was and will always be a report made by someone , somewhere . The truth hurts however as George Washington said ,”Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light”. In a fund raising letter in 2006 Al Gore had stated , “ In a free society, there comes a time when the truth -- however hard it may be to hear, however impolitic it may seem to say -- must be told. Finally Abraham Lincoln once said, “ You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time. I believe that it is not acceptable for journalists to use deception . I believe in Jesus and I believe in truth .

I believe that truth casnnot be hidden and that it will always win out in the end .

The End