Journalism's first obligation is to the truth. Always.
So why is the truth so important? Here are a few reasons:
-To gain the trust of your audience.
-To make your writing credible.
-To give your readers a sense of security.
However, you must be careful. Is there ever a time when the truth is not okay? I believe there is. For example, certain things are best not said at all in order to give people privacy. If something you say could damage a person's reputation and that certain fact is not relevant to the story, then maybe you should think twice about adding it. You need to find a balance between truth and ethics. However, NEVER make something up just to make your story more interesting. That is pretty much the worst thing you could do as a journalist.
Now I don't think that most journalists just flat out lie to the public without caring. There are those exceptions in the past, such as Steven Glass, who make up stories to gain the interest of their readers. But I believe most journalists have good intentions, but don't fully carry them out. For example, a journalist might think something happened a certain way when it actually didn't. The journalist didn't intentionally lie to the public, but their credibility is still damaged. This is where we have to be careful. This is where we have to be, what Robert Niles calls it, "truth vigilantes."
Now I don't think that most journalists just flat out lie to the public without caring. There are those exceptions in the past, such as Steven Glass, who make up stories to gain the interest of their readers. But I believe most journalists have good intentions, but don't fully carry them out. For example, a journalist might think something happened a certain way when it actually didn't. The journalist didn't intentionally lie to the public, but their credibility is still damaged. This is where we have to be careful. This is where we have to be, what Robert Niles calls it, "truth vigilantes."
So what about bloggers? What is their obligation to the truth? Do they even have one?
What I have to say about blogs is this: blogs are people's personal websites. They can post anything they want on them. Should they post the truth and only the truth on their blogs? Yes. Should they be responsible if they do not? No. You have to understand that while blogs may be interesting and contain new points of view, they are not credible. People can post whatever they want on their blogs. It's unfortunate that those who post unreliable information on their sites ruin it for the rest of us, but that's how it is. They just can't be trusted.
I think this video clip makes a good point. Sometimes it is hard as journalists to distinguish what is the truth and what is not. But we have to keep in mind that there are always going to be opposing views and different ways to look at every situation. However, it is our duty to portray both of those sides as best and as truthfully as we possibly can. A good rule to follow is that if you're not sure if something is the complete truth, then just don't say it at all.
I think this video clip makes a good point. Sometimes it is hard as journalists to distinguish what is the truth and what is not. But we have to keep in mind that there are always going to be opposing views and different ways to look at every situation. However, it is our duty to portray both of those sides as best and as truthfully as we possibly can. A good rule to follow is that if you're not sure if something is the complete truth, then just don't say it at all.
The Society of Professional Journalists' website contains a list of ways to "seek truth and report it." Click here to view it.
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