A Journalists first obligation is to tell the truth. The readers, viewers and listeners are counting on the journalists to provide them with truthful information. As soon as a journalist stops telling the truth or starts stretching the truth the public can no longer trust them. And when a journalist loses their audience base...they lose their job.
But what is the truth?
News and truth are not the same thing. (Article)
News signals and event and the truth brings something to light.
There have been times in certain places where the government regulates what 'truth' is told.
But a community loses their power when they lose their voice. They need truth to bring them together and keep them strong. There are advantages to government censorship like rights to privacy and preventing plagiarism. And then there are disadvantages: for instance Hitler censored the news which is why many people still refuse to believe that the Holocaust actually happened.
But where is the line?
The line between the truth the public needs to know and the things that need to be censored seems to be very thin. And who gets to decide? The government? The news station? The reporter?
I think that the reporter really just needs to be out in the world and very observant. If the reporter is spending time out in their community and listening to what people are interested in then they will know what they need to report on. They can then decide what the public needs and wants to hear. And there is a way to present it so that no copyright or laws are being broken and still get the full story told.
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