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Wrong news

False News The media is a fascinating tool utilized by hundreds of millions of people across the world to relay important information about current events. While many people trust the media as a source for reliable, accurate information, the news is not always right. It is crucial for people to critically assess the information they gather from the media, because it is not always as accurate as many hold it to be. There are several different ways seemingly good news can become false news.
Journalists come in many forms: some write articles in the newspapers that are delivered the people’s doorsteps every day; others become familiar, trustworthy faces that are broadcast on television for millions of viewers. By creating information, however, journalists of all types can actually become a source of false news. Those who write newspaper articles are often subject to strict deadlines, and sometimes they may feel unable to gather all of the correct information on time, so they fill in some of the small details on their own. Their boss may also expect them to write about something that will grab the attention of many readers, and this sort of news it not always easy to come by – so they decide a little white lie won’t hurt anyone. They may be journalists, but they are still human; and like you and me, they care about keeping their jobs. Those who write news scripts for the television, on the other hand, face a different kind of pressure. In order to keep ratings up, they must present news that people will want to watch. And if it’s going to help the show’s popularity, why not add their own clever twist to the story? It might only be a small percent of journalists who would actually make fake news at the expense of the public, but there are other ways the news can be inaccurate.
While certainly not all journalists are as untrustworthy as those in the aforementioned scenario, it should be pointed out that sometimes the sources they gather their information from are wrong. Many journalists and reporters rely on the information that is shared with them by ordinary, average people. Some of these average people may skew the story to protect themselves of someone they know. Or some of these people may add their own opinions to the story, thus altering the story that the journalist interprets and relays to everyone else. Then again, there may even be some people who just like create problems for other people, so they just lied to the journalist for the sake of lying. Whatever the case is, it is important to remember that the source a journalist gets their information from is not always right. Even though many journalists are well trained to identify credible sources, others are not; and sometimes it is really just too hard to tell.
Another way that false news finds its way to the media is through pressure by the government and businesses. Both the government and certain corporations are very strong in terms of size, power and money. If the media has gotten wind of a story that may make people angry at the government or weary of a certain company that depends on their loyal consumption for their profit, both of these powerful bodies have the means to sway the voice of the media. Large businesses, with their large accumulations of money, can “ buy off” a journalist who would otherwise share news that would hurt the company. The government, on the other hand, actually has the power to seize direct control of the media, and thus control what is said. (Gehlbach & Sonin, 2008).
While the media has the ability to send important information to people all over the world, the news is not always one hundred percent accurate. It is crucial that people use critical analysis to decipher the credibility of what they read and see in the news and elsewhere so that they are not misled by false news.
Source Cited
Gehlbach, S. & Sonin, K,. (2008). “ Government Control of the Media.” Retrieved online 6 November, 2008 from http://74. 125. 45. 104/search? q= cache: GYNUE5WGTwAJ: igs. berkeley. edu/programs/seminars/ppt/papers/gehlbach_20080505. pdf+the+government+controls+the+media&hl= en&ct= clnk&cd= 2&gl= us.

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