Truth and Journalism: Can They Coexist?

Truth is a very important part of a Latter-day Saint's life. At this university and in our personal lives we are admonished to seek truth in all things, and if we cannot find truth in something, we are to shun that something. However, as a Latter-day Saint journalist, our quest for truth may be somewhat different when our careers are concerned.

The job of a journalist is to find the truth and report it. But what is truth? That question has been asked throughout time, and even though many have found large portions of universal truth, the difficult part is finding truth in the goings-on of our everyday lives and in our communities.Truth is the basis upon which people make their decisions.  This is why it is so important for journalists to find the truth and report it with accuracy.

The text gives the definition of "functional truth" and its importance in journalism. For example, police arrest a suspect of a crime based on the facts that they are given by witnesses and by circumstantial evidence. This does not necessarily mean the person is, in truth, guilty. However, in the meantime, police use this functional truth to carry out their jobs.

Journalists are expected to do the same. We are given a set of facts. We check the reliability of those facts. If reliable, we go with them. Sometimes, however these so-called "facts" may not be "facts." It's sort of like the childhood game of telephone. One person tells me something, but facts can get distorted once they get to someone else. If we attribute them to the person who gave the facts, we are not guilty of libel or slander. The facts given may end up not being truth, and if that happens we are forced to look for the truth elsewhere.

The question is this: Can truth and journalism coexist? I believe they can. Maybe not truth in the eternal or the philosophical sense, but journalists can uncover the truth of a certain situation or event based on facts they are given. The journalist may encounter roadblocks and detours to the truth along the way, but if he or she can finally find the truth, they have done their job.