Deceptive Media: Are We Really Telling The Truth?

Emily O'Flynn
ef856814@ohio.edu

When I was three years old, my brother had just been born. All of my parents' attention seemed to gravitate towards him. Of course, he didn't realize how cute he was and it technically wasn't his fault that everyone drifted to him. But, the jealousy bug bit me so hard that I couldn't take it anymore.

One day, my brother and I were playing together while my mom cooked dinner. I went up to him and without any warning, I bit his finger. He screamed, as any baby would if their evil sister decided to expel an envious rage that had been building up for months.

My mom said, "What happened?" I simply responded, "Well, he just started crying."

I did not lie, because he really did just start crying. Alas, I was keeping out the tiny detail that I was the one who caused panic.

In some cases, we can use this situation as a metaphor for modern media. In the advertising world, restaurants have influenced their audiences by enticing them to believe they are much healthier than they actually are. An AdAge article delves into how KFC positioned itself as a source for health foods, trying to pass "deep fried" as " slow-cooked."

Federal Trade Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour put it into perspective, stating, "KFC... is fully aware of our nation's struggle with obesity, yet has cynically attempted to exploit a massive health problem through deceptive advertising. Companies would not be allowed to benefit monetarily from this kind of deception, especially where the health and safety of customers is compromised."

Deceptive advertising encourages lack of trust in brands. If KFC can't even properly tell me what I'm about to put in my body, why should I buy their food at all?

(image via libertyjuice.com)

When I neglected to tell my mother the truth about why my brother was crying, I felt guilty about what I had done. From an ethical standpoint, I knew I was in the wrong and I told my mom what had actually happened. I was sentenced to a cruel, deserving punishment of sitting in the "time out chair" for 15 minutes.

In the real world, the "time out chair" would actually be the loss of networking connections, credibility or a job. We must strive for the the most accurate news and branding so that our followers don't loss faith in us.

What it truly comes down to is taking ownership for mistakes. A Poynter article describes how Fox News deliberately released a political piece, depicting links between a deceased Democratic National Committee Staffer, Seth Rich, and Hillary Clinton's email scandal. Within hours of publishing the article, it was discredited. Somehow, it took Fox an entire week to remove the incorrect story from their website.

If we, as journalists and advertisers are not being true to our audiences, how can we expect them to want to read our material or buy our products? Taking ownership for mistakes is pertinent in this industry, and not removing incorrect information in a timely manner will lose vast credibility in the long run for news sources.