Journalist Report the Truth

I believe that journalists for the most part do report the truth as they see it.  They do their best to report an event or issue as it is, at the time that they report it.  However for example after they report about an event or issue, more facts or information could possibly rise to the surface.  This can happen after they have already reported about it.  This doesn't take away from the facts that they already reported about, it just means that at the time the full story hadn't fully come out yet.  When reporting on a big event or issue, people want the story and the facts as soon as possible.  Journalists do their best to report the information as accurate and as timely as they can.  It's not their fault if a few days, weeks, months, or years later that more details, information, or facts come out about the event.   

"Journalists first obligation is to the truth."

In the book, The Elements of Journalism, Rosenstiel states, 

"The desire that information be truthful is elemental.  Since news is the material that people use to learn and think about the world beyond themselves, the most important quality is that it be usable and reliable.  Will it rain tomorrow?  Is there a traffic jam ahead?  Did my team win?  What did the president say?  Truthfulness creates, in effect, the sense of security that grows from awareness and is at the essence of news."


I think that it's important to have more than one source when reporting and to always double check your information.  I know that journalists can be bribed or persuaded to report things a certain way.  However, I believe that the majority of journalists first obligation is to the truth. 

From the Pew Research Center it's easy to see that the believability of News Organizations' has dropped by almost 20% in the last decade.  However, I don' think that this is because of journalists not reporting the truth.  I think this is because of controversy with 9/11 and the war on Terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq.  I believe that the majority of journalists do report the truth.  

Kovach, Bill, and Tom Rosenstiel. The Elements of Journalism. New York City: Crown Publishers, 2007. 36-37. Print.

http://www.people-press.org/2012/08/16/further-decline-in-credibility-ratings-for-most-news-organizations/1/