In a world that is constantly changing and has important news to be presented every day, people look to the media and news sources for insight on everything that is going on around them and what is expected to happen in the future. The media is relied on by the public to present new information and truthfully inform them on all important topics relevant at the time. But, not all news outlets are always completely honest when reporting to the public and viewers. Sometimes stories are spun to create a false perception of an event or someone's actions, and other times stories are just blatant lies. If the media cannot be trusted to present the truth and be honest 100% of the time, how can anybody know what to believe and how to prepare for the future? Is it the media's job to only report facts to the public, or are different news sources supposed to persuade people by doing whatever it takes even if that might mean lying? In a poll done by Pew Research, nearly 60% of Americans would prefer if the media did not add their views to a story and just stuck to pure facts. The question then has to be asked, does the media need to face some form of punishment, maybe a fine, if caught reporting false stories and lies? Or, should they be allowed to present stories however they see fit?
24 Comments
Mackay
12/6/2020 05:14:07 pm
The people in today's society bargain their opinions based on what social media presents to them. When the news, and media bury the truth underneath twisted stories, false information, and invalid claims, people begin to believe in something that does not exist. Although benefits would be provided to the World if there was a way to filter the unproven information, unfortunately due to privacy and security reasons this will never happen, there are countless media pages, magazine publishers, we would never be able to stop them all. Individuals must discipline themselves to filter their minds, not believing every word spoken on the news, every article written, or every post submitted. These stories are also a marketing point, without interesting stories these media businesses would never make money. Holding back the full truth keep viewers coming back.
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Blazen
12/6/2020 07:02:49 pm
Well said. The media is corrupt. Even if it’s not accurate they’ll twist it on their head to make the story interesting. This has been news networks for years. Nothing will ever change them.
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Sam
12/6/2020 07:32:17 pm
With our broad array of technology and social media outlets, there really is no way to 100% manage what news gets put out for the public eye. It really should be up to the individual to know and understand the risks of some of these news sources and use their own intuition to determine if it is reasonable or not.
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Blazen
12/6/2020 06:00:16 pm
Media censorship isn’t harmful. The media cannot allow for all the truth to be released because otherwise the news would be boring. It provides a sense of mystery that you can fill in with your imagination. The media could also leave out some aspects so they can release the whole truth later. Always having a story on hand so they never run out of them. Media censorship is not hurting citizens in anyway. We don’t have to know everything the government is doing. As long as they keep the country afloat, they are doing their job. All media platforms are corrupted one way or another, making censorship’s illegal wouldn’t fix that.
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Dillon
12/6/2020 07:02:05 pm
It may not be harmful to withhold some information like you say. If they are just lying though, that is much different than withholding information.
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Sam
12/6/2020 07:34:10 pm
In this way, it can definitely be used as a marketing scheme and a way to manipulate the public to bring in money.
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Eli
12/6/2020 08:03:16 pm
If I wanted mystery I would watch a movie. The news should be for facts.
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Caden Caywood
12/7/2020 10:17:58 am
Isn’t the media’s purpose to stage the facts and state of our country? If they aren’t doing this then why have them at all?
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Eli
12/6/2020 06:28:07 pm
America currently faces a season where our daily lives change based on the information that the news presents. If false information was displayed on the news many people in certain states could be fined extremely for only their confusion. In our information-based society, it is extremely necessary to have the correct knowledge. Thanks to the Federal Communication Commissions (FCC) they threaten to stop the spread of this false information by fining those responsible. This, however, only applies to the legitimate broadcasting studios there are still news sites that have no such restrictions. They can publicize any message to draw attention to certain topics. These unprofessional publications need to be held to the same regulations as the experts.
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Blazen
12/6/2020 07:09:07 pm
The world is about entertainment. There’s a reason professional athletes are paid as much as they are. Society values entertainment over anything else. This is why the way news is portrayed will never change.
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Aidan
12/6/2020 07:43:18 pm
Oh that’s no fun Eli. It’s not like they are forcing you to watch the news. They must continue to fabricate truths to keep people calm, people can’t handle stuff very well, especially today.
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Caden Caywood
12/7/2020 10:18:57 am
I agree that giving out false information only confuses the public and creates more problems then before.
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Dillon
12/6/2020 06:59:40 pm
All news sources should be held accountable in some way. Like you say, it doesn’t matter if they are a major broadcaster or not.
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Dillon
12/6/2020 07:02:49 pm
This is supposed to be to Eli
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Sam
12/6/2020 07:27:59 pm
Opinions being integrated into the media are an important aspect to bring up discussion. This helps people understand views opposite of theirs or at least provides a different insight to the issue, however, no matter the situation, facts should always be stated first. Then, if news broadcasters, bloggers, etc wanted to contradict certain views based on the facts they should be free to do this. Where the line should be drawn is when statistics are purposely falsely relayed in order to back up ones opinion. Although it is hard to find, there are a few reliable sources of information that present the raw facts and stick only to those. Unfortunately for us these sources are hard to come by and most people have lost trust in any data they receive because the media has become so fake. It is important for people to be aware of where they are receiving their information and for that reason there should be no legal stipulations for any public news presented unless it could be harmful in someway. Sources that are truly fact based need to be at the center of media and not buried under multitudes of opinionated references. This will make it easier for those who want to go straight to the facts and still provide the option of opinion for those who want to view other people’s perception of certain topics.
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Eli
12/6/2020 08:01:48 pm
While options are vital there has to be truth backed by there options
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Will
12/6/2020 09:06:28 pm
This concept you stated in your prompt, in which forces news broadcasters to distinguish whether it is factual or not, shows some opportunity for success. However my question to you is who will governor these rules and enforce them if not followed? Further more, how will one decide if it is biased? For as every individual has a personal view that contradicts that of their neighbor.
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Aidan
12/6/2020 07:40:51 pm
No Dillion we are not going to start restricting what people say. Freedom of speech allows all of us to speak our mind, even if it may not be true. Once we start limiting speech laws, we don’t stop until we’re communist. It’s a very bad idea just don’t watch the news.
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Will
12/6/2020 08:59:31 pm
I side with your intellectual idealism on communism and its connection to restricting freedom of speech. I enjoy it so much that I believe it needs no explanation, as for you have so kindly provided.
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Will Garrett
12/6/2020 08:56:20 pm
The "truth" or facts must remain in its raw form, as if it becomes tampered with, our society will become misled. Changing these truths will result in an unstable relationship between ourselves and that of our providers, such as news sources. This being said, I feel it is up to every individual to own their personal opinionated beliefs. With education and life experiences, the common man has all the needed tools to guide them through biased media sources. The news providers can not control the reactions of their audience, and can only manage the content they release. Altering this content is the only way to pull or push the viewer in a way that is beneficial. This is just another form of persuasion, and will be used until the end of time.
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Johnathon Simmons
12/7/2020 10:30:40 am
People are so easily mislead. Most people are trusting by nature so it’s not hard for them to trust anything.
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Caden Caywood
12/7/2020 10:14:31 am
News channels are called to use media to inform the population of necessary, unbiased information and to state the current condition of the country. But this is no longer the case. News reports are continually altering details to better benefit the political party they choose to support. Their goal has changed from distributing information, to taking advantage of information to generate more followers. News stations must be required to give out only true information with no added opinion. This will allow the population to truly understand what is happening in the world, benefitting the whole country with well informed citizens. This will also lessen the gap between different political parties creating a more unified country. News channels must give truth when that is their only need of existence.
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Johnathon Simmons
12/7/2020 10:25:36 am
I hadn’t thought about how bring forward the facts could be unifying. That would be exactly what our country needs. If news aren’t giving true information, their existence is pointless.
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Johnathon Simmons
12/7/2020 10:22:54 am
Media should avoid opinion and stick to the facts. People want to know what’s going on, not your opinion on it. It’s important for one to form there own thoughts before their brain space is being flooded with others opinions. If media companies are commonly falsifying stories they should answer to some sort of fine or suspension.
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