Loss of Faith in Journalism #384
By Hank Silverberg
Who, what, when, where, why, how. Those are the questions all journalists are taught at the beginning of their career. I have always added another H for "How much" to my reporting, because a dollar figure was often attached to many stories.
But beyond that a reporter's job, above all else, is to tell the truth as best you know it.
Both the Radio,Television, Digital News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists have a code of ethics emphasizing the truth, along with fairness.
But somewhere along the line, "truth" part seems to have gotten lost. A mentor of mine, the late Jim Farley, used to instill in his reporting staff "Get it first, but FIRST get it RIGHT". And that too seems to have gotten lost with the prevalence of the internet, "influencers" and social media posts. Being the first to post on line has drowned out reporting the truth.
I used to tell students interested in journalism that if a news source told you it was raining, you could quote them saying "it's raining," but don't YOU say it's raining. You can get someone from the other side who says no, "it's not raining," but that is not enough anymore. While that may be fair, it may still be wrong. Go outside and look for yourself. Find out if it is raining or not before you report it.
_______________________________________ _____--- Journalism 101
If someone says it’s raining & another
person says it’s dry, it’s not your job to
quote them both.
Your job is to look out the darn window and
find out which is true”
Source: Sally Clark
___________________________________________________________________
Yes, this is a simplistic example, but it makes the point.
Journalists are not just transcribers, reporting what people say from all sides. It is a reporter's job to find the truth, and sometimes that means telling a story that is unpopular with both news sources and the public.
A survey by the Pew Research Center done last October, indicated that only 56% of adults in the U.S. have a lot of trust in the information they get from national news organizations. That's down 11% from a similar survey in March of 2025, and down 20% since Pew first asked the question in 2016. It is no surprise that the rapid decline in the trust in news organizations seems to have begun with Donald Trump's first run for president when reporters started quoting everything he said without checking to see if it was true.
It's also no surprise that younger Americans have even less trust than their elders with only about half (50%) having lots or some trust in the national news media.
Another Pew study shows 52% of U.S. adults say they are "worn out" by the amount of news there is these days, and 48% say much of it is not relevant to their lives. Despite what many politicians and news executives think, much of the public is not waiting with baited breath for the next presidential quote on Truth Social.
The Pew research did not delve into why there is less trust, but it's clear to me from my conversations with young people. They don't think anybody tells the truth about politics or public issues, and they see reporters as an extension of the nonsense they are hearing from politicians. That really shouldn't be the case. Reporters need to go back to the basics and focus on the truth in what they report.
That is now going to be a lot harder though, with some large news networks now under control of owners with political agendas.
https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/news-habits-media/media-society/media-attitudes/trust-in-media/
News You May Have Missed
Can police use cell phone data from a local tower searching all usage in a particular area to track down a bank robber? The U.S. Supreme Court will review a case this month that could have a dramatic impact on your privacy.
It stems from a bank robbery in central Virginia in 2019. Law officers had no clue who made off with $195,000 until a detective demanded data on cell phone locators within 150 yards around the bank at the time of the robbery. It's called a geofence warrant, and in this case it helped police track down a suspect. The data search could include words, phrases or even emails from the geographical area along with cell phone tracking or phone calls.
The 4th Amendment, illegal searches and seizures, was included in the Bill of Rights; during the Colonial period, British soldiers could use general warrants to search homes and stores, even when they had no reason to suspect any specific wrongdoing.
While police caught the bank robber, they also collected data on thousands of other people within the geofence.
That argument will be used by those challenging the use of geofence warrants. The federal appeals court in Virginia was divided 7-7 on whether the 4th Amendment applies in this case.
Recycled Spaceship!
There are mixed results for the latest space mission by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company. The rocket boosters used on the mission this past week was a first. It was a second launch for the refurbished first-stage booster, which had flown before. Res-usable technology is a major breakthrough in space travel. The booster made its second soft touchdown on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
The BlueBird 7 satellite apparently was turned on,
 |
| (Courtesy Blue Origin) |
Rocket reusability is a major effort to cut down the cost of space missions. Elon Musk's SpaceX has been doing the same thing, but now it has strong competition from Blue Origin.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
For the second week in a row, the dumbest quote comes from Vice President, JD Vance as he was speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia last Tuesday. The subject was the war with Iran, with Vance making reference to a social media post from Pope Leo XIV. The Pontiff had said:
"God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
And he also indicated that the current war does not fit under Catholic parameters for a "Just War".
Vance, a recent convert to Catholicism, then said of the American Pope:
"I think it's very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology."
Yes, he said it. A recent convert to Catholicism was trying to correct the Pope on church doctrine.
Even the conservative Evangelicals in the room heckled the Vice President about that comment.
(Your suggestions and comments are welcome.)
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