What is Journalistic Truth?
Lesson 8.3
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So, what do journalists mean by truth?
Among other things, The Professional Journalist tests the accuracy of information, proceeds cautiously, and does not distort…all on deadline.
They collect as much relevant evidence as possible. But “As Possible" is a big qualifier. In other words, do what you can by deadline.
Because Journalism is truth-gathering with a short time limit, journalists and news consumers should always be asking – is there more relevant evidence that can be practically collected?
They should also be asking...
Is getting the facts right the same as the truth?
Is being ‘objective’ the same as being truthful?
How about fairness?
Can we even agree on a common truth?
In a world where we uncover new information every day and where the changing universe daily reveals itself in new ways, the disciplines of both science and journalism seek functional or pragmatic truth that helps explain the world; information we can act upon every day. And those facts or the statement of "the truth" can be constantly changing. The way that we define scientific truth bores this fact:
Scientific truth is a statement of probability proportional to the evidence. It may change over time as more evidence emerges.
Scientific truth is a statement of probability proportional to the evidence. It may change over time as more evidence emerges.
There is then the idea that the TRUTH IS PROVISIONAL: which means it may change.
Rational beliefs may be logical conclusions from the evidence available, but at least they are justifiable if based on the best available evidence. In other words, the freshest. But, it can and most likely will change as new evidence comes to light.
We can never be completely satisfied with today’s “version of the Truth.”
We must always be on the lookout for better evidence.
Provisional Truth
Provisional Truth
A prime example of provisional truth that we use many times in our course is the demotion of Pluto in 2006 from a planet to a "dwarf planet. Based on observation of orbits of other objects, astronomers long theorized a ninth planet and in 1930, an Arizona observatory confirmed it with photos. But then in 2006, newer and more sophisticated images showed it is just another object in the Kuiper belt…a mere dwarf planet. Around the same time, the International Astronomical Union realized it had no precise meaning of the term planet. So they voted Pluto out.
We can be reasonably confident in the truthfulness of a report that unfolds over the course of many days.
Think of it as the process of a picture slowly coming into focus by photographers whose aim is to collect as accurate a representation as possible of what is in front of that lens…and the difference between a wide-angle lens and a super-close-up lens can change the type of “truth” in that representation.
This can be frustrating for a culture that wants to know everything right now. We are likely to see some sharp reversals of journalistic truth as new information comes to light. This is why smart news consumers look for reporters who never quit digging.
When a German Wings plane crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 what we knew was there were 144 passengers and 6 crew and all were expected dead.
Later that day, we learned no distress call had been issued.
The major break came on Wednesday night, when the New York Times reported the Pilot had left the cockpit and was locked out.
Thursday morning, the French prosecutor announced that his hypothesis was that the co-pilot deliberately crashed the jet.
In this case, had the truth changed, or merely our understanding of the truth?
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