Every reporter dreams of uncovering a major story sometime in his or her career.
The 'holy grail' of journalism is to be the first person to report on something that ends up affecting everyone in some way.
In days past, these dreams motivated students of journalism to train and discipline themselves in the art of fact checking and researching topics.
Those days are now officially gone.
The integrity surrounding the art of journalism has severely declined in the last few years.
Reporters are now so threatened by the internet and bloggers, and so eager to break a story, that they routinely avoid the research and fact checking aspect of their job and simply just print whatever sounds controversial or interesting.
Many times the information being printed is so void of any real fact that the source itself will promote a conflicting story in the same day or same week without even realizing it! An example of such an act is exposed on this very website, in an article from a couple days ago.
It's just plain absurd.
One of the biggest targets of these types of ridiculous press attacks lately has been our own Government.
Naturally, this means our Government is also the most common victim of fallacies or misconceptions being promoted by the press.
What is the real motivation behind all this? Are reporters just trying a little too hard to be the next Woodward and/or Bernstein, or are they actually assisting in the promotion of an anti-Government agenda? Maybe it's a little bit of both.
Whether they know it or not, any journalist who helps promote a fallacy about our President, Government, or other authority figure, is doing serious damage to our Nation as a whole.
I'm all for reporters having the right to dig up real dirt and expose it, that's what makes having freedom of information so great, but reporters should have an obligation to make sure it's true on all levels before reporting it.
Once a media outlet passes on a lie or misconception it takes on a life of it's own.
No matter how hard you try it can never be retracted.
Someone will always believe it to be true.
You have to realize that a large portion of the general public believes the average email they get forwarded to their inbox to contain facts, so of course they are going to believe the information they see in print.
People don't like to fact check, they expect reporters to do that for them.
If a story is printed, the average reader is assuming it to contain factual information.
Imagine what this does if said 'factual information' isn't really factual at all.
Many reporters also have a personal agenda of their own.
Some journalists want to report on a story that validates their own political belief, so their personal faith keeps them from digging a little deeper for the real truth.
It's the dictionary definition of "bias.
" This type of reporting not only confuses the hell out of the general public, who rely on the press for information, but it also creates social distrust and nervousness.
This makes us vulnerable as a Nation.
Extremely vulnerable.
Everyone knows the best way to destroy a super power is to 'divide and conquer.
' It's the best war plan ever created.
The question we must now ask ourselves is this: Is the American media assisting our enemy in dividing us as a Nation? If so, are we allowing it? (c)2006 Resipisco.
com [This article may be reprinted, as long as the author is notified and proper credit is given]
The 'holy grail' of journalism is to be the first person to report on something that ends up affecting everyone in some way.
In days past, these dreams motivated students of journalism to train and discipline themselves in the art of fact checking and researching topics.
Those days are now officially gone.
The integrity surrounding the art of journalism has severely declined in the last few years.
Reporters are now so threatened by the internet and bloggers, and so eager to break a story, that they routinely avoid the research and fact checking aspect of their job and simply just print whatever sounds controversial or interesting.
Many times the information being printed is so void of any real fact that the source itself will promote a conflicting story in the same day or same week without even realizing it! An example of such an act is exposed on this very website, in an article from a couple days ago.
It's just plain absurd.
One of the biggest targets of these types of ridiculous press attacks lately has been our own Government.
Naturally, this means our Government is also the most common victim of fallacies or misconceptions being promoted by the press.
What is the real motivation behind all this? Are reporters just trying a little too hard to be the next Woodward and/or Bernstein, or are they actually assisting in the promotion of an anti-Government agenda? Maybe it's a little bit of both.
Whether they know it or not, any journalist who helps promote a fallacy about our President, Government, or other authority figure, is doing serious damage to our Nation as a whole.
I'm all for reporters having the right to dig up real dirt and expose it, that's what makes having freedom of information so great, but reporters should have an obligation to make sure it's true on all levels before reporting it.
Once a media outlet passes on a lie or misconception it takes on a life of it's own.
No matter how hard you try it can never be retracted.
Someone will always believe it to be true.
You have to realize that a large portion of the general public believes the average email they get forwarded to their inbox to contain facts, so of course they are going to believe the information they see in print.
People don't like to fact check, they expect reporters to do that for them.
If a story is printed, the average reader is assuming it to contain factual information.
Imagine what this does if said 'factual information' isn't really factual at all.
Many reporters also have a personal agenda of their own.
Some journalists want to report on a story that validates their own political belief, so their personal faith keeps them from digging a little deeper for the real truth.
It's the dictionary definition of "bias.
" This type of reporting not only confuses the hell out of the general public, who rely on the press for information, but it also creates social distrust and nervousness.
This makes us vulnerable as a Nation.
Extremely vulnerable.
Everyone knows the best way to destroy a super power is to 'divide and conquer.
' It's the best war plan ever created.
The question we must now ask ourselves is this: Is the American media assisting our enemy in dividing us as a Nation? If so, are we allowing it? (c)2006 Resipisco.
com [This article may be reprinted, as long as the author is notified and proper credit is given]
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