Mark Twain, the famous author of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, once wrote "if you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed." However, to what extent is this true? Would you rather be uninformed or misinformed?
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but...
The notion of an 'absolute truth' theorised by philosophers, Plato and Augustine, in the Middle Ages has been rejected by post modernist, Friedrich Nietasche (1890) (cited in Tapsall & Varley 2001, p.91).
Even though the world can be seen to have become a global village, there are still varying cultures and worldviews that surround us. With this in mind, how does a post modern society operate with so many truths being validated? Are we really post modern casualties or victims of PR piracy?
Tapsall and Varley (2001) state in their book Journalism: Theory in Practice that "Truth is central to the process and practice of journalism...But what is truth? And how important is it?" (p.96).
Smith (2003) wrote in Groping for Ethics in Journalism that "there is no absolute truth, rather, truth is relative to the community in which a person participates...Facts are the basis of the truth" (p.65).
Tapsall and Varley (2001) also highlighted the fight for truth as an entity in journalism, which is not to be considered an oxymoron, is becoming increasingly difficult. There is a current assumption that in today's fast-paced world where news is now a 24 hour commodity to sell, journalists who have an ever-shrinking deadline often use the majority of public relations' media releases as stories, and are not fact checking but simply taking the organisation's words as true. Where has objective journalism gone?
The following YouTube clip highlights the belief by Walter Pincus, from the Washington Post, of the end of objective journalism - "truth squading" or fact-checking.
End of Objectivity
In 2000, Zawawi stated that "84% to 90% of news was sourced from press releases" (cited in Breit 2008, p.17). With recent industry knowledge stating that the number of PR practitioners heavily outweighs the number of journalists, as well as the constant deadlines and increasing tasks (blogs, twitter accounts) journalists must complete daily, this statistic can be seen as accurate.
As Cottle (2003) states, "Public Relations is the deliberate management of public image and information in pursuit of organisational interests" (cited in Breit 2008, p.7). With this statement and the above statistic in mind, I believe that newspapers may be misinforming us in some aspects, as a result of unethical PR practitioners who are trying to sell their organisation's products, viewpoints or goals, without any form of a moral compass. However, I would also like to believe, as a journalism student, that journalists will be able to pick up on this and not run with the story.
Therefore, the major push for journalists is objective reporting. Dennis and Merrill (1991) define this as "reporting that is detached, unprejudiced, un-opinionated, uninvolved, unbiased, omnificent, and infallible," (cited in Berry 2008).
Is Journalism in bed with the enemy?
While journalism is meant to be objective, public relations is subjective. So are journalists in bed with the enemy?
Conley and Lamble state that there is a "dual-flow theory of news processing [whereby] the media release can act as the idea for a story, not as a ready-made news story" (2008, p.213-215). Therefore, journalists need to ensure that they research the facts.
From this viewpoint, public relations can be seen as a good thing for journalists as they gain access to information, gain 'scoops', can be given more detail on issues and research, can speak to spokespersons of companies and gain the opportunity to complete a story by its deadline, (Johnston & Zawawi 2004, p.264-265).
While PR is subjective, 'truthfulness' is the responsibility of both journalists and PR practitioners. Their relationship can be mutually beneficial and symbiotic. Although there are several factors that influence truth and objective in journalism practice, such as market/economic forces, time pressures/deadlines, technology and human fallibility, journalists need to remember the MEAA Code of Ethics and particularly;
"Respect for the truth and the public's right to information are fundamental principles of journalism" (Australian Commonwealth, 2010).
Points to consider:
The following YouTube clip demonstrates America as "an eager country to believe". The clip also highlights that in today's global communication and advanced technological world there are more avenues and people willing to cross-check facts in news reports.
Is Modern Journalism about Truth? - YouTube clip of media conference
This YouTube clip outlines the relationship between journalists and PR practitioners. Enjoy!
PR vs Journalism
Bibliography
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Australian Commonwealth. (2010). Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) Description. Retrieved September 2, 2010 from http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/289039/fromItemId/815972/quickLinkId/815429/whichType/org
Berry, D. (2008). ‘Chapter 5: Truth and objectivity’. Journalism, Ethics and Society (pp. 111-140). Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Retrieved August 10, 2010, from University of Newcastle eBook Library http://0-reader.eblib.com.library.newcastle.edu.au/Reader.aspx?p=438549&o=536&u=278512&t=1284175493&h=07A503BBA3857134B5403DFA6C243C4EDB5A5D90&s=8830488&ut=1621&pg=1&r=img&pat=n
Breit, R. (2007). Law and Ethics for Professional Communicators. LexisNexis: Chatswood.
Bowman, L., & McIlwaine, S. (2001). The importance of enquiry. In S. Tapsall & C. Varley Journalism: Theory in Practice. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 102-112.
Conley, D. & Lamble, S. (2006). The Daily Miracle: An introduction to journalism (3rd ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford.
Cunningham, B. (2003). Re-thinking Objectivity [Electronic version]. Columbia Journalism Review, 42(2), pp. 24-32. Retrieved September 13, 2010, from ProQuest database.
Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. (2004). Public Relations Theory and Practice (2nd ed.). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
McLachlan, D. (Interviewer). (2004, December 11). Part 10: Reportage and Truth. Lifelong Learning: Cultures in Journalism [Interview transcript]. Retrieved ABC Radio National Web site: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/learning/lifelong/stories/s1174631.htm
Smith, R. (2003). Groping for Ethics in Journalism. Blackwell Publishing: Iowa.
Tapsall, S. & Varley, C. (2001). Journalism: Theory in Practice. Oxford University Press: South Melbourne.
Tickle, S. (2001). The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but... In S. Tapsall & C. Varley Journalism: Theory in Practice. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 89-101.
YouTube. PR vs Journalism (Mac / PC Spoof). (2007). Retrieved 12 September 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CbiMXV8U4M
YouTube. Is modern journalism about truth? (2008). Retrieved 22 September 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAXkkEky-0k
YouTube. Bill Moyers Journal - Buying the War - End of Objectivity (2007). Retrieved 22 September 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfqr7qLBQJ4
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