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October 12, 2005
Chapter 10
::Question about Truthfulness::
I realize that we, as citizens, have the right to expect that what we read in the newspaper is true and can be varified. However, isn't there a way to bend the truth or not give the whole truth? Is it possible if I said, "I can't stand my roommate because she is always playing loud music." to change the statement into, "I can't stand my roommate..." Readers could get the wrong idea, but in a way, the statement isn't entirely false. What are your thoughts about this?
Posted by ElyseBranam at October 12, 2005 01:13 PM
Comments
I'm sure that this happens a lot in journalism. That does not make it right. If you were to take a quote, and only give half of the quote so that it is still what the person said, but not ALL of what the person said, then you are being inaccurate. I'm sure that you would also be at risk for libel lawsuits and plenty of bad publicity. I remember Dr. Jerz talking about something similar to this in class one day, but I can't quite remember what it was exactly.
Posted by: Chera Pupi at October 12, 2005 02:03 PM
When Dr. Jerz mentioned Michael Moore, he mentioned something like this. Remember the example about the quote he gave from the NY Times? The quote was from a Letter to the Editor, rather than an article or editorial written by one of the staff members of the newspaper.
Posted by: ChrisU at October 12, 2005 05:18 PM
That's a good question, Elyse. A journalist has to work extra hard to make sure that such a sentence won't be accidentally misread by a reader who's not quite paying attention. For example, once in my college town there were two competing abortion demonstrations, and a minor accident happened becuase a driver was distracted by the signs. When the local TV news did the story, at that point they inserted a shot of demonstrators from one side of the issue waving signs. But there was no evidence that those people and those signs were the ones that distracted the motorist, but the juxtaposition suggested a connection.
Consider Morgan Spurlock, who never actually said "McDonald's CEOs die because they eat too much of the food they sell," he just pondered whether it could be a coincidence.
By the way, Elyse -- cool colors on this blog.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at October 12, 2005 05:34 PM