Re: Journalism & the real truth

[Joe Fockler <jfockler -at- IPHASE -dot- COM>]

Eady, Sandra writes:

[other good stuff deleted ...]

+ Journalism majors seem to know
+ more about digging and piecing things together and playing one source
+ off another to get down to the real truth.

Unless I've lost my command for the obvious, this is an oxymoron!

Journalism and truth are mutually exclusive. I live here in the Dallas,
Texas area. Nearly three years ago channel 4 (or channel 5) did a great
"investigative report" on the abuse of the worker's compensation program.
The investigative reporter, Jeff Crilley, and a private investigator
(let's call him Sherlock Holmes) investigated various people who were
collecting workers compensation and yet, were still working and earning a
living. One guy in particular was collecting workers comp for a wrist
injury. They followed him through the streets of downtown and caught up
with him in the West End district where he opened up his juggling act on
a street corner. Passers by even dropped money into his basket.

When questioned about his juggling abililty the man replied, "Yea, I
think I'm pretty good."  When the reported questioned him about
collecting workers compensation he got wide eyed, packed up his juggling
act and moved on.

To make this long story just a little shorter ... I worked at the same
company with "the juggler". He had never filed or claimed workers
compensation. However, he was paid by the investigative reporter to
juggle, the passers by were paid to drop money in the basket, ...

There was even a post juggle interview in which the juggler admitted that
what he did was wrong and that he was going to own up to his mistake and
rectify the situation. The only problem with the interview was that it
was filmed before he was followed through the streets of downtown Dallas,
before he was confronted with fraud!

I call that, piecing things together to get the real truth.

(with my best Connie Chung impersonation, in a whisper) ... Come on, just
between you and me, what do you call this?


If anyone cares to check with the juggler, I'll give you his E-mail
address. He's probably available for parties, or for investigative news
stories outside of North Texas!



+ I don't know if this is a personality trait, a statistical glitch, or
+ something taught in journalism school, but whatever it is, it is good
+ and I like it.


--
   Joe Fockler                "The granite which is an obstacle in the
   Interphase Corporation      path of the weak, becomes a stepping stone
   Dallas, Texas 75234         in the path of the strong."

   jfockler -at- iphase -dot- com                           -- Thomas Carlyle

                               "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
                                The most certain way to succeed is always
                                to try just one more time."

                                                 -- unknown