Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have.
- Richard Salant, former President of CBS News
- Richard Salant, former President of CBS News
Salant was twice president of CBS, first from 1961-1964 and again from 1966-1979. He was credited with raising the professional standards and expanding the news programming at CBS.
As we sit glued to the TV for the evening news or reach for the morning paper to find out what is going on in the world, maybe we should pause to wonder...is this the truth or just what someone wants us to believe?
The core of journalism is the search for and reporting of the truth. Yet what is the truth?
I will leave you with this bit of truth. A wise woman once told me "never believe everything you hear".
My Mom used to say, "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." No matter how hard a person tries, it seems (at least to me) to be impossible to be completely impartial.
ReplyDeleteA lot of news is pure sensationalism these days.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch the news. It was decision I made several years ago. I get enough online to know what's happening, but ever since news went 24/7 it seems less about truth and more squeezing every drop of emotionalism from a story.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting quote. It really you think. Thanks for sharing it:~)
Talon- I get the difficulty in being impartial, however the truth is the truth - if you can find it.
ReplyDeleteMeleah- That is so true. We have far less problems if the media would only report what they know to be facts. It's OK to say "We don't know yet" and leave it at that.
Sara- I don't watch much TV news either. I leaf through the paper and read stuff online. That's enough.