Journalistic integrity is a virtue held highly across the globe. That sounds good but there isn’t really anyway to hold journalists to as high a standard as we the public would like to. One can twist and bend quotes, studies, or statistics to say whatever they want them to say. It’s because of those things that the public is given a gullible trust toward printed material. Fooling people for profit shouldn’t be so easy.
Take a look at Stephen Glass, former journalist for The New Republic, who fabricated material for at least 27 of the 41 articles he had published for the magazine. Some of the stories were completely made up by him. It’s sad to think about how many Glass type reporters might still be on payroll for any number of newspapers or magazines. The number for internet bloggers who commit such acts would be staggering if we could somehow measure it. So how can we respond? Everyone who writes to be published has something to gain from it, so does that mean by default that everyone is manipulative. The answer is yes. As human beings we can’t really help it. We can’t agree on anything because we all perceive things differently. Think about how the American court system relates to why absolute truth is irrelevant. Both individuals argue their side of a story and a jury weighs them against presented facts. Absolute truth isn’t the goal but how well you can line your story up with grounded facts. A reporter tries to flair up his writing while stringing along grounded facts that he/she has gathered.
One must always take reality with a grain of salt. Do not allow yourself to fade away from news because of its fallacy. Grab hold and utilize it as a means to dwell further into a subject on your own volition.