Lying And Deception: The Media From Top To Bottom

 There is little to no accountability in the media. Lying, twisting the truth, making up false or self serving narratives are far too common. Whether it is from people plagiarizing photos that are not theirs, and that constitute the heart of their self serving documentary, all the way to major U.S. city newspapers, with international readership.   

A reporter from a major newspaper was given information, at great risk to the careers and future of the people that provided the information, to expose wrongs the informants were led to believe were to be exposed, only to find that they were lied to and that all the reporter and the reporter's newspaper did was publish a sensationalized story that had nothing to do with what the informants risked everything to expose.

A major U.S. newspaper that has a large nationwide and international following ran a story in their Sunday magazine with made up quotes that never were uttered or written. It serves as a permanent record of lying and of fact checkers that allowed the lying. What makes it easy for media people to lie, perhaps arrogance, elitism or some other character flaw, is made easier when they know there was is no accountability for their lies. A secondary media does not exist in any meaningful way to expose the lies of the first.

The pursuit of what is sensational or tantalizing, and the endless pandering to audiences, ensures the media at large remains shallow and dishonest.

Some so called investigative journalists were given detailed information regarding deception and fraud in a well funded, well connected nonprofit organization. In the end, the story did not run, not on television, not in the printed press, because the connections of the nonprofit were able to keep the story away from the public.  Who gets to be investigated or exposed depends on power and connections. 

The hope that social media would pave the way to a new direction of truth, integrity, openness, was crushed by their censorship of that which does not suite their political or religious narratives. They lie about why they censor. They use hate and violence as an excuse to censor content that does not fit their religious or political narratives, even when the content has nothing to do with hate or violence. Theirs too is a realm of no accountability. 

The consequences are dire for any society, democracies included, when the media on all levels lacks integrity, openness, honesty, objectivity and truthfulness.