Truth, Transparency and Community

Perry Yert

Py176312@ohio.edu

In today’s journalism, the new era of technology has transformed the way we deliver journalism. As this changes, truth and accuracy are two principles that stay important; however, it is imperative we find new ways to abide by these. One principle that always stays true is reporting the truth. Along with this comes transparency, which is how truth gains credibility.

It is important to maintain transparency in the new era, because anyone can try to be a journalist. People can write, record, or say virtually anything they want without credibility or accuracy. One factor that remains heavy for transparency is community. We all have part in the survival and ability to maintain journalism.

How can we as a community be looked at as an end rather than a means to an end?

We can always make sure to give our sources credibility. Checking news sources is important when determining the accuracy of a story. It is so hard, nowadays, to determine who is a journalist and who is not. We, as consumers, have the ability to examine, question, and critique journalists. The main motive is to ask whether or not what we are viewing or reading has integrity.

An example of this is when the Black Lives Matter movement came to rise.

Trayvon Martin was a 17 year-old African American who was shot by an officer as a form of self defense. Officer Zimmerman was not charged because there was no ground to disprove his story. He had several head wounds that were supposedly caused by Martin. In the article, Trayvon Martin and the Irony of American Justice by Ta-Nehisi Coates, truth and accuracy are challenged when opinion comes into play. This article was written solely from the perspective of taking sides with Trayvon Martin and disregarding all the actual facts of the situation in his favor.

This article relied on the fact that police forces of all kinds are against and biased toward African Americans. Considering this is the first instance of many others to follow, this stereotype becomes a routine for journalists who do not follow principles of truth and accuracy. Instead, they take the story and situation into their own hands. In an instance such as this, it becomes important to know whether or not this author is a journalist to measure how much of the article is truth vs. opinion.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/trayvon-martin-and-the-irony-of-american-justice/277782/