Do You Trust the Media?

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I find it hard to find reliable sources that just state the facts. I want the bullet point list of who, what, when, where, why.

Yes, please. And use language and grammar that appropriately expresses what is known about an event -- doesn't leave you wondering things like, did the car cross the center line and hit the tree or the cow, or did the truck cross the center line, striking the cow and forcing the car to drive into the tree? I realize sometimes things occur and details aren't known, but is it too much to ask they carefully express what is clearly known and reference carefully what is not known?
 


I'm going to say yes and no. I was a PR major in college and took quite a few media and journalism courses. I was taught to focus on the facts and report them honestly. However, I was also taught that you can "spin" a story to focus on the facts you want people to remember. It's not that you make things up, you just downplay or highlight certain things based on what you want your readers to come away with. That technique is more appropriate when you're promoting something. Straight reporting is supposed to include all of the facts and no opinion at all.

I think that we need to be discerning and slightly skeptical when we read or watch news stories. For the most part, I think straight reporting tends to be accurate (i.e. a bank robbery, fire, etc.). Stories that are basically fact-based have no reason to be "spun". When you have a story with many sides (Harvey Weinstein, for example), it can get murky. You have "he said, she said" scenarios, multiple witnesses and people with direct or passing knowledge about the case. That's where you sometimes have to wade through and pick out the facts for yourself.
 
The free press is a vital part of our democracy. So, yes, I support the free press, and I choose multiple news sources who practice good journalism and support them with my $$$ by subscribing. When I hear people diss the media, it makes me angry, particularly when it comes to politicians who do that. Without the free press, we'd never have known about Watergate, for example. If our free press goes away, so does our democracy. There's a very, very important reason for the 1st Amendment to our Constitution, and that includes why it was first....
 
The free press is a vital part of our democracy. So, yes, I support the free press, and I choose multiple news sources who practice good journalism and support them with my $$$ by subscribing. When I hear people diss the media, it makes me angry, particularly when it comes to politicians who do that. Without the free press, we'd never have known about Watergate, for example. If our free press goes away, so does our democracy. There's a very, very important reason for the 1st Amendment to our Constitution, and that includes why it was first....

This absolutely.

I read multiple publications to ascertain the overall facts of a story I am interested in. Generally I have not been disappointed with what was reported when all has been said and done. I stay away from social media "news" and blogs that are nothing but personal opinion trying to be facts. I stay away from internet sites who have a bias (most of them are pretty clear on their bias). I try to follow a few real journalists that are left and I do realize that, while reporting, sometimes things small details might be off, but as long as they correct those as the story becomes more clear, I'm okay with that.

I am really concerned, though, about some figures constantly trying to disparage the media. Yes, they definitely need to be called out when they do something wrong and, in fact, should probably be fined if it is proven that they lied (they can be sued), but as mnrose says, the press is what we have to keep our government in check, always. Without that, people would know nothing.
 
I guess it depends on what you mean by the media. Reputable news agencies, that have journalists who follow basic standards for reporting? Yup, I trust those.

YouTube, random things shared on fb, sites with sensationalized headlines, sites with names that are clearly trying too hard like anything with freedom or truth, or patriot in their name? Nope.
 
I agree with @sunshinehighway There are a number of sources out there that I trust. Media that does base their reporting on the facts and that work to keep the opinion seperate from the facts. I also find that the more local a news group is, often the better so to speak. Of course there are local, one guy newspapers, where he's really just printing his opinion. But there are lots and lots of local newspapers, and to a lesser extent tv stations that focus on facts.

I do NOT consider all of the junk that shows up "trending" on twitter and FB and the likes to be considered news. They are fake, the people writing them are fake, and anyone reading them should be able to decipher that they are biased pretty quickly.

I think it's sad that this country in general has turned all media into some sort of generalized bad guy. Just like every single thing else out there, some places are good and some are bad at their job.
 
I get my news online since I don't watch much tv, and I have to say that it is hard to respect or trust a news source that puts out articles with so many typos, grammar errors, etc. And most of them are like this unfortunately. Also, the bias of each news source is very easy to see. However, I get extremely irritated at the recent trend to call anything "fake news" that the person doesn't agree with.

ETA: Oh, and I listen to NPR when I'm in my car. They are a news source that I trust.
 
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