Powerful Media Need To Keep It Real

bk562515@ohio.edu
Brenda Keck

What if the news reported lies? What news in America was monitored by the government, like in China. We have so much trust in our news that we can not afford for it to be untrue. Competition can not be so fierce that reporters are willing to jeopardize their integrity over greed. Unfortunately, it happens all too often. The American people cannot really believe everything they hear and read. If our corporate world of news chose to fabricate, exaggerate or down right lie about information, isn't it the public that pays the ultimate price? Can ratings really be more important than truth?

By Steve Wilson and Jane Akre

In this documentary, Fox News Reporter Forced to Lie About GMO Foods, it unbelievably tells the story of two Fox investigative reporters, Steve Wilson and Jane Akre, under intense pressure from Fox Television, to tell a story that was not true. It was like a secret conspiracy. They were threatened with dire consequences if the story was not reported. Management said "the news is what we say it is". Refusing to lie, their jobs were threatened, they were bribed, scrutinized to rewrite the story 83 times only to have their jobs threatened again.

They stood up to corporate pressure by refusing to lie about important news that needed to be told. They were able to go through the whistle blower law and take Fox Corporation to court. The jury sided with the reporters and they won.

Monsanto’s GMO Herbicide Doubles Cancer Risk

What would have happened had they not stood up against corporate, settled and reported a false story?

Fortunately, the outcome of this was positive, not only for the reporters, but for the American viewers. More importantly, the untruth of this story could have caused grave damage to people quite possibly around the world.

What if another reporter found out the real story and reported it truthfully? These two reporters' jobs would more than likely be lost and reputations tarnished,as the public trust over the two would be lost.

Brian Williams draws mixed viewer response in shooting coverage

Media, as a whole, should understand the importance of news being unbiased, factual and fair. A reporter can not take advantage of their status in front of a camera, to voice their own opinion.

How can being the first to report a story make any difference in the news? Most big stories have all major stations standing next to each other. During this process, the facts must be accountable and sources must be reliable. Questions have to be asked and answered and sometimes, they may be difficult questions. Still, the public deserves to know the whole story with sources and documentation to prove it is a reliable piece of information.