Sunday, June 28, 2009

Can newspapers please check their allegations first?

David Beckham was alleged to have initiated private contact with a topless model after having hit on her and having his advances reciprocated. This was reported in an article written by a newspaper.

When he sued them over this extremely untrue piece of news, they admitted it was untrue and agreed to pay him damage fees. It is one thing to create scandal in order to increase readership, but it is another to attain this objective at the expense of truth, and people's lives and marriages!

Traditional media like newspapers are being compared to new forms like blogs and Facebook. Mr Nelson Quah expressed his opinion that there is no accountability in blogs. I beg to differ. My blog entries are based on newspaper articles, and since he implies that they have a sense of accountability and accuracy, my blog can be said to have that too, albeit containing personal opinions. I may be using a pseudonym but it does not diminish the authenticity of my entries.

Traditional media seems more trustworthy, only if it is limited to current affairs. Tabloid newspapers may not make true allegations, as I had mentioned in the first part of this entry.

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