3rd: Truth is Crucial in Journalism


Journalism has become one of the most significant industries in the modern society. Numerous newspapers, television stations, and other mass media supply a great deal of valuable information for the public every day. People begin to pay more and more attention not only to the news that media report, but also to the news industry itself. The profit of media tycoons, media celebrities or a remarkable press prize has attracted people’s interests. However, the most important issue in Journalism is to report the truth, which is an underlying claim on all the other aspects in news industry.

The influence of journalism demands the authenticity of news coverage. News is defined as information on recent events, including political activities, economic development, social affairs and so on. Once news information is published, it is expected to affect the organic society. If a piece of false news were created and transmitted to the public, it would cause serious results. A wrong number in business coverage will result in fluctuating of stock markets; a mistaken signal in news reporting accelerated the breakout of America-Spain War. Even if in an ordinary community, rumors may usually lead to a family’s tragedy. Consequently, reporting the truth is widely believed as the substantial requirement in journalism in terms of audience, managers and journalists.

Audience appeals to news media in order to receive true information about people’s daily life. Living in the information age, people encounter all sorts of unlimited information everyday, news stories, advertisements, science fictions, or music videos. Meanwhile, recoding true stories is the unique characteristic of news media, compared with novels, poetry or other literature. Readers will not be interested in newspaper if they wish to find some romantic stories to enjoy. Although, deals of news media also print some fictional content, such as essays, quiz, or continued story, they merely play an affiliated role.

As a business in most western countries, journalism can also produce profit that is always what manage men concern. Nevertheless, the operating performance of a news company is immediately affected by the validity of it reports. The truth is said the lifeline of news media. Journalists are encouraged to investigate any undiscovered fields. Because it is believed that the more sealed events a paper publishes, the more readers, i.e. potential profit, this newspaper wins. The Washing Post has built up such a successful model as it disclosed the historic “Water Gate” and overthrown ex-present Nixon. On the contrary, a fake reporting can ruin a media company. In the early 1900s, at the risk of being bankrupt, the New York Daily News, one of the major newspapers in New York City at that time, printed a number of rumors such as UFO’s attack to the earth, in order to appeal readers. However, this kind of stories did not satisfy the readers but buried the paper.

Based on the fact that readers and managers prefer true stories, to report the truth is therefore the primary demand to journalists. Reporters have the responsibility to investigate new events and record the events exactly. They need verify very details of coverage before it is printed. It is the professional ethics that requires journalists be honest, just as bankers should keep a reliable credit. If an inappropriate report is published, it usually leads to severe accusation for journalists as libel or slander.

In sum, news industry is attractive and competitive, but principally, the crucial issue in journalism is to record the world truly and exactly.