One of the fundamentals of journalism school is stressing the tenet of reporting the facts. The facts are checked carefully and this becomes the news.

Speculation is not the news. Personal opinion is not the news. It may be an editorial, a viewpoint or a commentary but it is not the news. To pass off non facts as the news is a disservice to the viewing audience and it seems that every television news station which churns out ‘twenty hour a day news’ does this. Most of what fills the air time is not news. It is entertainment.

This is never more evident as the forthcoming American election holds center stage. The on-air people are using terms like so-and-so “might” do whatever, “could” do whatever, “should” do whatever. This is not reporting. It is speculation and flies in the face of objectivity. It cannot help but be a reflection of personal bias. To present such material under the guise of being the news is disingenuous. It is exactly what initial journalism courses forewarn: do not become part of the story. True news reporters are firsthand witnesses of history. The role of the reporter is not to become part of the story and try to sway the viewing audience. That is deceitful and insulting to the profession to which they purport to belong.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster