The advertisement is the most truthful part of a newspaper.1 This means that not everything written on a newspaper is based on facts. The media may take part of the truth and add a false story to make it more interesting for the consumers. They do that to increase their sales of newspapers, radios, televisions or magazines.
Sometimes the media adds deceiving information to change the view of the public. A reporter might have an interview with a celebrity and takes only a certain quote from the person and writes a fictitious account of what he meant. It might not be completely what the person intended to say. A wrong messege might be sent to the fans of the celebrity.
The media is biased. For example, the war on Iraq. Some newspapers only base their articles on how the US president is doing a good deed for humans. But did they think about what happened to all those Iraqi citizens who had died because of the coalition’s bombing? Is that justified? Teens will think it’s right to thrash anyone they think is intolerable. This will cause trouble. The media should report judgments from both sides and be neutral.
One should not rely on the media for opinions on making decisions.
1. Thomas Jefferson.
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/journalism/11.html (12 May 2002).
