Taibbi, a political writer for Rolling Stone, focused his lecture on what is wrong with mainstream media. According to him, there are three things wrong with it today.
First, it forces its writers to be serious when covering all events. Life's events are not always serious; they can be funny, heartbreaking, silly and shocking at the same time. Newspapers and magazines failing to capture this are not representing reality, which is their basic goal.
Second, editors are deciding what stories should been written. Reporters should be the ones deciding that. This would ensure that what is being reported is more truthful, because reporters won't be framing the story in such a way to please their editor. They would be free to write about what they uncovered.
Third, mainstream media makes many of its decisions based on profits. It's concerned about making as much money as possible. It doesn't want to offend its advertisers, because that is where a majority of its income comes from. Therefore, newspapers want to remain as objective as possible. This forces reporters to mute their opinions and feelings on subject matters. Reporters are not using their voice when they are writing an article; they are using their boss' voice.
How can journalism produced in this manner be truthful? It can't.
This is disheartening to me because I am being told that my job is to expose the truth. How am I supposed to do my job when the business doesn't always want me to expose the truth? Am I supposed to compromise my beliefs and morals to please my employer? Do I have a greater obligation to my boss than to myself? I hope not.
I feel that I must be true to myself first and foremost, because I am the one who has to live with the decisions I have made. If this costs me a job or two, then so be it.
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