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Newspaper credibility has been an issue since their inception, with only 17% of people believing their newspaper is completely credible. The use of anonymous sources is a major factor in this, with some reporters fabricating stories. Biases towards political parties and exaggerated celebrity stories also contribute to the lack of trust in newspapers.
The issue of credibility in newspaper stories has been present since the first appearance of newspapers. Many people read them with a skeptical eye. More and more people are realizing that newspaper articles are not 100% true. In the age of mass media, with newspapers and TV shows vying for the exclusive scoop, many facts are exaggerated beyond a reasonable doubt.
A recent survey of newspaper credibility showed that only 17% of people believe their newspaper is completely credible. The credibility figures for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal were 50%. So is the world now populated by cynical media-savvy readers, or have people simply lost faith in the media as a whole?
One of the major factors in the credibility of newspaper stories is the anonymous source. This refers to people who frequently appear in newspaper articles giving an insider opinion or knowledge about a story. The disputed issue is, of course, that the anonymous source is never named. The use of the anonymous source can be seen as far back as Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal exposed by the Washington Post in the 1970s.
A reporter will never give up the name of his anonymous source; it is considered an integral part of journalistic ethics. However, the New York Times recently had to print a four-page apology for reporter Jason Blair’s fabrications. Blair’s newspaper articles appeared over a three-year period and were found to be filled with fraudulent facts and information. Most of the uncontrolled inventions were contained in citations from anonymous sources.
This would not be the only time apologies for fabricating newspaper articles would be printed. Rick Bragg, another Times reporter, was forced to resign after stories about him were found to be fraudulent. USA Today reporter Jack Kelley fabricated numerous stories, including his own eyewitness account of a bar bombing in Israel.
In some cases, the public knows that the stories in the newspapers are simply false or exaggerated. British tabloids are some of the worst storytellers in the world. A huge percentage of these dailies are filled with exclusive celebrity stories from close friends. It is common knowledge that the so called close friend is actually the celebrity looking for extra publicity.
There is also the fact that many newspapers are biased towards a particular political party. Publishers may run political stories that favor their political party, along with newspaper stories that make the opposing political party look like devil worshipers at best. The old adage not to believe everything you read in the newspaper should be kept in mind when reading a large percentage of newspaper articles, especially those that often cite anonymous sources as key data sources.
