News Deception : What Are We Really Missing?

Having served nearly thirty years at CBS News, Mr. Goldberg had earned a reputation as one of the most original writers and thinkers in broadcast journalism. However, when he observed his own industry, he realized the liberal media had completely missed their mission to give honest news. After years of sharing his observations and promoting more balanced reportings, Goldberg soon realized that no one listened because they believed they were doing the right thing. The liberal bias continued, therefore Bernard Goldberg decided to take the situation into his own hands and expose the distortion of the media himself. Goldberg’s breathtaking and shocking best seller book, Bias, reveals the close-mindedness of the news culture and their mission to entertain rather than share facts.

News organizations that report on stories in a fair, balanced and ethical manner are essential to the functionality of this nation. A citizen’s ability to make well-informed decisions hinges on a news organization’s ability to relay the most accurate information regarding the state of the nation, the changing condition of communities, and adjustments in the government. Journalism is no longer a one-sided conversation. Journalism is an interactive process that allows for readers and viewers to create a dialogue with journalists by utilizing mediums such as social networking sites and comment sections. Audiences have a say in what stories get reported and how news stories are presented to the masses. When news organizations fail to cover all

Although many people may like to think of America as a honest and moral nation, it is no secret that artifice has cemented itself as an indispensable skill, exploited by many to achieve their own ambitions. Artifice, characterized through the usage of cunning devices or expedients to deceive others, is often utilized by politicians and organizations to help push their own agendas. As illustrated by Chris Hedges in his social commentary, Empire of Illusion, “artifice” has emerged to become so ubiquitous and essential throughout American society, whether in business or the entertainment industry. Essential, in the essence that without it, people in any industry are more likely to be disadvantaged in achieving their personal goals. In today’s modern world, no area has seen more abuse of artifice than in the field of media and politics. Its common knowledge that newspapers skew reports to their own biases and politicians often tell half-truths to cover-up ulterior motives. Unfortunately, these politicians and media giants hold extremely influential positions in society, and their usage of artifice is extremely damaging to the integrity and accountability within the United States. As a result, the press as well as the general populace must utilize free speech to expose this behavior. Despite the complete immorality of the usage of artifice, such chicanery remains essential for success in media and politics.

In, “One Man’s Rumer I Another Man’s Reality, Gregory Rodriguez, an author of the Los Angeles Times he argues about the power of broadcasting the truth and its effect on the people. As a result, “can false rumors and off-the-wall theories be corrected by broadcasting the truth” (Gregory Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2009)?

In the realm of politics, the media is responsible for producing versions of ‘truth’ which service

On September 10th, Katie Sanders from PunditFact and former writer from Politifact Florida gave a speech at the Bob Graham Center titled Pants on Fire: Misinformation in American Politics. The talk and subsequent Q&A centered on the perpetuation of misinformation that is experienced in contemporary American politics as well as what journalists and common people alike can do to combat it. Though these were the focal points, three related tangents were my main takeaway from the experience.

There’s an overwhelming number of sources for news to reach the public. There is Fox news, CNN, BBC, NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Propublica (a non-profit), and NPR, just to name eight. All these news sources impact our daily lives as we make tough decisions on things like who our president will be, what kind of food we eat or don’t eat, or what kind of people we like or don’t like. Some journalism exposes things that other people don’t want exposed. This type of journalism is called Muckraking. Jessica Mitford, an investigative journalist, described muckraking in her book, Poison Penmanship: The Art of Muckraking, as high honor in the world of journalism. Muckraking must be disassociated with the term “bad journalism”, it

Today, it seems that almost all news sources have some “spin” in their reporting. In many cases, the journalists may report only facts at the time of an events occurrence but later begin to inject their opinions concerning what has happened. For instance, when a shooting occurs, all of the media sources covering the event focus on gathering facts. Soon after the event however, the reporters began to give their opinions concerning the issue. Some may use this event as an opportunity to raise concern for gun control or mental health rather than simply reporting the news. Many times, rather than bringing in experts on a topic, a reporter will give his or her opinion in spite of its uselessness. When experts or witnesses are brought in to give accounts, they are often hand-picked individuals whose views match those of the reporters. The media produces this type of news because it is more entertaining and appealing to the public. To maximize profits, media outlets produce what gets the highest ratings, and if that means that the reporters must twist some facts to support the public’s views, then that is what they will do (Hammond). In a recent police shooting, the media showed its willingness to twist facts for their favor. A police

Citizens of the United States vary vastly. The exposure to media, however, is one common thread that connects the majority of the population. We trust popular news outlets to portray information we need or want to know, but do these stations always deliver it the same? CNN and Fox are two dominant forces in today's media driven society, but these two juggernauts often differ in coverage on many current prominent issues.

Don’t Let the Facts Stand in the Way of a Good Story!(Editorial Review for Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News)

In a work where news gets thrown in our faces right , left and center , it becomes difficult to filter out which news is true and which is not. But , before asking how to filter out the news , we need to ask ourselves why should we have to categorise the news as credible or non-credible ? Why would the person writing this article wouldn’t want to lie to me ? Many times a journalist may get a story from a source who may or may not be very honest or in some rare cases journalists may make up stories with twisted facts and misquoting individuals. However, in the media business , when someone makes a mistake , there’s always ten others who are waiting to point it out. What makes the media credible, to the everyday reader, is the idea that the

Today’s media likes to give the appearance of honesty and truth, but it is really still just biased propaganda paid for by the bigger powers that control the news we know today. Many People are easily swayed by big news companies because they think they can trust them, when in reality they are just taking advantage of people.

In the documentary “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War On Journalism”, Fox News began as a seemingly innocent, right-winged, news channel, with the slogan “We Report. You Decide.” However, as time moved on from the first airing of the news channel, it was as if Fox had followed a more biased and corrupted route than what had been proposed. It primarily discusses how Fox News, and perhaps other popular media news outlets, have begun to actively misinform their viewers for personal or business gain. Originally, Rupert Murdoch, a news corporation CEO, was deemed as the overall instructor of what was to be represented on the Fox outlet. However, at the time of his ownership, the news outlet was said to have had “zero news value.” Therefore, as Roger Ailes, a former media strategist for several Republican presidential campaigns, joined, and inevitably took over the channel, Fox News began to “evolve” into something called “fair and balanced” news reporting. Unfortunately, “fair and balanced” was far from the truth. In fact, after several examinations performed by both journalists and former Fox News contributors, it was discovered Fox News had been continuously using sinister tricks, such as

Deception, especially in the media is a highly dangerous walking ground. It can come internally and it can come externally. It comes through the mouth of people and sometimes even within the mind of the individual. But the worst and most common scenario is when deception occurs in the media. And to be able to spot deceptive techniques used in the news one most understand how to identify frames. When identifying media frames the actual content of news reports is less relevant than the interpretive commentary that surround it. Generally speaking this is broadly evident in journalism, but it is especially evident in television news which is filled with metaphors, catchphrases, and other symbolic devices that implicitly present an underlying storyline. By using these devices the media is able to form a rhetorical bridge between bits of information by creating a context and developing relationships between multiple

The recent surge in popularity of social media comes with a price: fake news. Fake news is defined as news or media that has been altered or modified. Journalists have begun to analyze why that fake news exists and why it continues exist. Two authors, Eoin O’Carroll and Kevin D. Williamson, both have written articles about fake news. Eoin O’Carroll’s article “How Information Overload Helps Spread Fake News,” discusses how the media has bombarded us with news stories, blurring the distinct lines between real and fake news. Kevin D. Williamson, a journalist for the National Review, writes in his article “‘Fake News, Media and Voters: Shared Reality Must Be Acknowledged” that the news is not fake; it just does not align with one’s personal beliefs. Both authors successfully appeal to their audiences’ emotions and feelings, but O’Carroll is more likely to succeed than Williamson in persuading his audience to try and combat fake news because the writer presents himself as someone the intended readers will more readily identify with and offers evidence that his readers will find more compelling.