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In a perfect world the words “journalism” and “news” would be synonymous with “ethics” and “truth” but unfortunately we don’t live in that world. In our society we value the acquisition and sharing of information over all, referred to as the “Awareness Instinct” in The Elements of Journalism, and in the age of the internet anyone is able to become a journalist.
My Experience
One of my greatest disappointments with the media occurred when I was working on my Associates Degree in 2018. I was writing a research paper on Slenderman for one of my classes and I decided to mention the Slenderman stabbing in it. In case you don’t know: the Slenderman stabbing was when two girls tried to stab one of their friends to death “in the name of Slenderman” in 2014. This is the abridged version of what was normally reported. Along with the number of stab wounds inflicted there was also a lot of emphasis on the Slenderman part of the story. The information that was much harder to find was that the girls were only 12 at the time and that the victim survived. I had already read through over four articles before I found this out. I often find pieces of information left out that would lessen the dramatic impact of a piece and this is one of my biggest issues with journalism. In this case mentioning the girls age or that the victim survived would lessen the impact of the Slenderman factor in this story.
Another aspect of journalism I’ve come to hate is quotes. You can always tell what side of the argument a journalist is advocating for through their use of quotes. Even a news source claiming to be unbiased will quote people using language that suggests otherwise. Fantastical words such as “right, wrong, disgrace, liberty, righteous , etc.” will often be found in these quotes. This is known as a logical fallacy called “glittering generality.”
Picture source: Revolutions
Logical Fallacies
Logical fallacies are “fake or deceptive arguments,” or “arguments that seem irrefutable but prove nothing” according to the Master List of Logical Fallacies. While working on my Associates Degree I was forced to study logical fallacies no less than three times and knowing only a few can make a big impact on how you absorb media and journalism. There are over a hundred logical fallacies but here are some of the most common ones from Write Now. (Side Note: I find that these make it hard to listen to political discussions.)
- Glittering Generality: Using emotionally charged words such as love, truth, honor, democracy, and justice to gain the audience’s approval.
- Card Stacking: Providing evidence for only one side of a case or deliberately omitting essential information that would change the reader’s opinion.
- Red Herring: Diverting the reader’s attention from the main issue by introducing something irrelevant.
- Tradition: If something has always been done a certain way, then it must be the correct way.
- Band Wagon: Implying that in idea must be true if it is popular.
- Character Attack or Ad Hominem Attack: Attacking a person rather than an issue.
Conclusion
The value of journalism is subjective and it is our duty as the listeners to consider it critically. Thank you for reading.
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