The Truth is not Simple but Complex

   Zoie Lambert

    zl962419@ohio.edu  

    Journalists have been given rights and protections when it comes to disseminating the truth through the Constitution and more than 200 years later thanks to the advancement of technology those protections have been put to the test. Our biggest test as journalist today is debunking the theory of "fake news". We must do this by solidifying "what is  and is not truth?" and learning exercise the truth properly for the public sake. 

What "The Truth" is not?

    The phenomenon of "my truth" versus  "the truth" has rocked society for the last 20 years. Many cannot pinpoint the origin of this phenomenon but know one of its main advocates: Oprah Winfrey. She has allowed many people to come on her talk show and speak "their truth" and while some have talked about true experiences that have happened to them,  others have shared perspectives or opinions that have been mislabeled as "the truth".

    In an article by "The Atlantic" writer, Colin Friedersdorf, dissects Oprah's well known"speak your truth" line after her Golden Globe acceptance speech about truth in 2018. Friedersdorf basically uncovers that "the truth" does not require a pronoun in front of it. It is not "my truth", "your truth", "her/his/their truth" but "the truth". In Oprah's speech, she recounts Recy Taylor's story as a sexual assault victim and how her truth is carried on in every "Me Too" marcher. 

    Friedersdorf believes "the truth" is an invaluable asset in society but conveys that Oprah should have polished the speech by clarifying that Recy Taylor wasn’t just speaking “her truth,” she was speaking “the truth” to power—and that her unpaid claim to justice is inseparable from that fact. When Oprah or many others say this is "my truth", or ask someone to "speak your truth" they are lumped with many people who are giving their perspective and opinions on topics, not facts. Moreover, when people blur the line between facts and opinions "the truth" becomes
relative and therefore irrelevant. 

How to handle the truth

    So "the truth is the truth", however, we can not sum it up to that. Facts are so complex and should be treated and handled as such. When journalists present facts they go through the following checklist to ensure  the story is presented without flaws:

• Seek the truth and report it
• Transparency
• Fairness
• Independence
• Loyalty
• Accuracy
• Accountability
• Inclusivity
• Minimize harm 

    Checking everything off this list was possible for journalists in the past but now with more access to information at a faster rate journalists can not afford to achieve all these principles. We live in a fast-paced society where "the truth" needs to be as accessible as air.  

    People need local, national, and international news, and journalists as a result must be ready to serve the public at any moment. These fast-paced news stories leave little room for editing which has been a staple of the journalism field. The shift from heavy editing to light editing is hard because we as journalists want to give the clearest version of the truth.

     However, I doubt we will ever have the clearest version of "the truth". I believe the principle and meaning of truth will never change but facts will and it is okay that we acknowledge our uncertainty and keep the public updated. 

    Tracey Brown writer for the Guardian put it best, "Instead of fearing what people will make of tentative knowledge and uncertainty, our role – our challenge – must be to give them the tools to make sense of it. We have to be honest. There are so many answers that research doesn’t have, and even where there is evidence, it often cannot suffice. Some decisions will have to be taken on the basis of uncertain, incomplete and conflicting evidence. That’s the ugly truth."