I hope it makes people realise that if the media lies to us in the cases of celebrities, then it's not so difficult to believe that they lie to us on all fronts. ALL of them.
With all due respect for Katherine 
, I've always found that if the papers ever write an article or even a feature about something I myself have in-depth knowledge of, there are invariably errors, omissions and over-simplifications that lead to the total story presenting its subject matter more or less incorrectly, sometimes even glaringly so. I suppose it's the name of the deadline and punchline game.
I've had the same experience myself. But I think it's important to remember that errors, omissions and oversimplifications are not the same as lies. They're mistakes, perhaps even careless ones, but NOT deliberate attempts to mislead.
Vulturous tabloids aside, I truly believe the mainstream media make mistakes all the time but almost never outright lie. What would be the point? Where would that get them? What would be their motivation? Their objective is, at the lowest, to make money, and at highest, to help society. The vast majority of journalists I have known are genuinely interested in doing the latter, even if they don't always succeed. They get their kicks from having access to power and winning awards, which are usually given out on the basis of good results like exposing corruption or injustice.
Lying to readers/viewers really accomplishes nothing, To lie, you have to have an interest in concealing or misleading, and very few journalists feel that kind of motivation. Few are particularly loyal to governments, businesses or whoever else they might lie on behalf of. On the rare occasions when journalists DO lie, it's usually to further their own careers. But deliberate lies, as we have seen in cases like that of former New Republic reporter Stephen Glass and former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair, are often discovered and can ruin a journalist's career.
Of course, I'm talking about legitimate mainstream media, not tabloids and paparazzi. Obviously in those arenas lies are routine.
Topic: Heath Ledger - News Accounts (Read 1277723 times)