The Principle Of Truth

Dannella Laury

dl783619@ohio.edu

Journalism plays an important role in our democracy, and we rely on it to function. Thomas Jefferson said, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” The purpose of journalism is to provide people with information about everything that is happening in our society.

However, throughout history, there has always been this love-hate relationship with the news media. In the past few years, the credibility of journalists has been questioned due to the 24-hour news cycle and the flow of the internet. People are now criticizing the new media for not being truthful and for reporting inaccurate information.

    Picture source: cartoonkronicles.com

The Truth

 In the book, "The Elements of Journalism," Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel wrote, “Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.” The concept of truth is sometimes complicated and subjective, depending on the person’s point of view. Since the idea of truth comes from one person’s perspective only, someone else can take it as truth, or they can misinterpret it by the one trying to understand the statement.

In journalism, stories are written from a specific perspective, which means that the truth is usually portrayed through the lens of the person trying to explain the story. It is up to the journalist to decide what parts are true and what parts they do not need in order to tell the truth. 

Sometimes, one story is not enough to tell all the truth, and this should be pointed out in more complex stories.

Accuracy is truth 

The American Press Association's Principles of Journalism states, truth comes from accuracy, which is the foundation of all journalism. The truth forms from having “context, interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis, and debate.” If the reporter does not accurately convey the story, the audience may think that the news is deliberately misleading them. In this way, people will be suspicious of any news information. Striving for accuracy as it pertains to reporting the fact should be the goal.

The New Age

The way we consume news today influences how journalists report the news because viewers/readers feel journalists are not reporting the truth to the public accurately. 

The article, “Why can’t we agree on what’s true anymore?” published in The Guardian discusses how technology plays a role in the reasons why we question what is true in the news media. Stating “the explosion of information available to us is making it harder, not easier, to achieve consensus on truth.” The reason being is people have quick and easy access to so much information is causing us to question, what's the truth?

News stories should not be combined with personal opinions. The news media must be more transparent about what is a factual news article and what is an opinion piece.

Final Thoughts 

The problem with the “truth” when it comes to reporting is that, there is always going to be someone who disagrees with the information that is presented. When it comes to journalism, we expect 100% truth, but journalists can’t always guarantee “truth”, however, reporting the facts should be of the utmost importance. 

The principles of journalism are now becoming more important because social media and journalists must abide by these principles.