Don't Believe Everything You See

Brenda Evans
be226307@ohio.edu

Competitive Pressure

In a profession that has become so competitive, does the need to be the top media outlet lead to falsifications? So much pressure is put on reporters to get riveting information and to get it fast. Consumers want the newest, most exclusive, mind blowing news and we want to be the first to get it to them. Healthy competition never hurt anyone, but has it crossed the line into compromising the integrity of the story? The race to be the best isn’t always about speed, the too-good-to-be-true stories are also highly desirable. The online medium has an extraordinary push for speed which can often lead to the publication of misinformation. Whether these half-truths and white lies are intended or not, they seem to be happening more often. The January shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is an example of the battle between speed and accuracy. Media outlets such as NPR falsely reported that Giffords had died from the shooting. Although this incident was a “mistake,” there can be no mistakes with the truth. It’s black and white. There should be no compromise for any other element.

If there has been a shift in culture leading to the demise of the journalistic values of accuracy and accountability then there is no purpose for journalists any longer. Our purpose is to find the truth, sort out what is important and report it. It's a disconcerting thought that a huge portion of our information could be misinformation and the people that we trust may have an agenda. It is not fair for those who truly want to provide the public with the truth that a few bad seeds tarnish the industry’s integrity. If there is such a shift that Seigenthaler speaks of, then we as a generation need to quickly shift back. Although the public may not want to hear the truth it needs to be heard. The news isn’t meant to be entertainment and shouldn’t be held to the same expectations. The journalists of today and those of tomorrow need to push back from those expectations and stop playing a competitive game with the truth.

Photo courtesy of SadHill News.