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Can the media ever be relied upon to convey the truth?
By Melson Chun
To the modern person, the media is almost an omniscient, omnipresent entity. It constantly bombards us with information through our television sets, newspapers, radio sets and computers. With so much information being thrown at us, it becomes necessary to try to sort out what is useful to us. What we need is information that is accurate to help us make decisions and learn about the world around us. However, in today’s world where people have access to a wider range of media sources, discrepancies have been noticed between the information given by different sources. This has led many to question the reliability of the various media sources.
In the highly competitive media industry, rivalry between news stations is often intense. This rivalry has been blamed by many sceptics of media reliability for being the cause of sensationalism in the news. It is common practice for newscasters to sensationalise news, sometimes to the point of distorting the truth, in order to increase viewership ratings. Industry surveys have found that the more sensational and exciting a piece of information is, the more people will tune in to the station reporting it. With higher viewership, television channels will be able to command higher advertising fees. Fox News in the US is exceptionally well known for following such a practice. News stories are often hyped up before being broadcast. The Hong Kong media is equally notorious for sensationalising the truth when it comes to news concerning celebrities. Artistes have been reported to be pregnant when in fact they are not. Such distortion and sensationalising of the truth is one reason why some think the media cannot be relied on for the truth.
Another point brought up to support the fact that the media is unreliable is political influence. Politically sensitive news is often reported in such a way as to show the opinion of the news station. Only news that supports the political stand is released. Information that is contrary to the opinion is not shown. Such obscuring of information makes it impossible for viewers to obtain the true picture of politically sensitive issues. The CNN has been accused of doing just that. To express support for America’s war with Iraq, it aired news of American victories, both major and minor, during all available slots during the war. However, news such as the fact that weapons of mass destruction were never found in Iraq were either omitted completely or reported during non-peak hours. To report such news would have affected public support for the war adversely as the supposed presence of such weapons was the main reason for the US going to war.
Sometimes, the media does not convey the truth because it is unable to. For various reasons, including security, false news might be released to the press which will then pass on the false information unknowingly. All over the world, information about criminal cases in which the criminal is still at large have been reported with slight inaccuracies in the hope that it will lure the suspect out.
On the other hand, many news stations are considered to be very reliable in conveying the truth. They set standards for themselves to ensure that they report the truth to the best of their abilities. The BBC is an example of such a corporation. The reporting of the truth is given priority over all else. In order to ensure that commentary is not mixed with news, airtime is set aside for the airing of opinions. Paradoxically, such a practice actually gives the BBC a larger audience as it becomes respected as a reliable source of objective information.
This leads to the next argument put forward by those who think the media is trustworthy. In an increasingly connected world, news stations have to report the truth or at least base their reports on the truth in order to keep the trust of viewers. Reports that are too far from the truth will be discredited when accurate information reaches the public from other sources. One example of a media station that has been discredited in this way is Al-Iraqiyah in Iraq which is run by the US-led coalition. Reports from the station were perceived as extremely biased and, in some cases, totally false by the Iraqis. These days, the station is treated as an entertainment station instead of a source of news.
Taking into account the arguments and evidence presented above, it is quite clear that the media industry has more reasons to hide the truth than to convey accurate information. However, this does not mean that the media is to be completely distrusted. By referring to diverse sources of information, the average person will still be able to discern truth from lies in the media.
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Contributor's Note
Author is a person who have successfully combated acne. For more information, visit http://www.homeacneskincare.com on tips how you can banish acne forever too!
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