Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!aplcen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!auvm!CMUVM!34LMLFQ From: 34LMLFQ@CMUVM.BITNET (Chris Curtis) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.politics Subject: Re: Just the Facts Ma'am.... Message-ID: <90039.1915.34LMLFQ@CMUVM> Date: 8 Feb 90 19:15:21 GMT Sender: Forum for the Discussion of Politics Reply-To: Forum for the Discussion of Politics Lines: 33 Approved: NETNEWS@AUVM Gateway In-Reply-To: Message of Thu, 8 Feb 90 09:17:00 CST from >A reporter has much leeway in pursuing this. Using some facts and not others a >good reporter can make Hitler sound like Jesus Christ (I proved this in an >English class, by the way). Reporting requires a lot of personal integrity and >a sense of duty to stick to the facts. Today's reporting has, largely, strayed >from that basic idea to sensationalism and "scooping" the other guy at all >costs. One of the most glaring examples are those rags you buy at grocery >stores, like the Star and The Enquirerer. >Paul E. Mason Paul, Are you talking about reporting or propaganda? I agree that a skillful *manipulation* of the facts can make almost anybody sound incredible - I mean they did it with Nixon, and the Germans with Hitler (at first). I also agree that most of today's reporting has "strayed... to sensastionalism" but didn't it get that way because nobody has the inclination to dig for the "true" facts? I mean, if my sister said "Chris hit me", and I said "No, I didn't" when in fact I did, doesn't the reporter have a duty or responsibility to report both statements *and* the truth - that I hit her? If the reporter reports only my "facts" - that I'm as innocent as a saint ;-), the reporter is essentially reporting a lie. I believe this ties in to the whole reason why the "Facts" debate started... The press only reported Bush's statements, and not the factual truth behind these statements (for or against). The merely took the statements at face value. This is wrong. (Forgive me if I'm beating a dead horse on this, or the debate started on some other points - I was off the list when it started) This type of reporting is merely propaganda for whoever makes a statement. --Chris "My name's Joe Friday. Sometimes I wear a badge... sometimes I wear clothes"