Can You Trust the News Media?

 MANY people doubt what thy read  hear in the news. In the United States, for example, a 2012 Gallop poll asked people "how much trust and confidence " the had in the accuracy, fairness, and completeness of the news reports of the newspapers, TV, and radio. The answer from 6 out  of 10 people was either "not very much" or "none at all." Is such distrust justified?

Many journalists and the organizations they work for have expressed a commitment to producing accurate and iformative reports. Yet, there is reason for concern. Consider the following factors. 

MEDIA MOGULS.  A small but very powerful number of corporations own primary media outlets. Those outlets exert a strong influence on which stories get covered, how they are covered, and how prominently they are covered. Because most corporations are designed for profit, decisions made by media outlets can be motivated by economic interests. Stories that may hamper the profits of the owners of a news organization  may go unreported.

Next time: Can You Trust the News Media?

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