Web Article Discussion

The Guardian online article “Our media have become mass producers of distortion” by Nick Davies, published on February 4, 2008 discusses another article from Fleet Street, published in June 2005. It is about a gang of child bullies who attempted to kill a five-year-old boy by hanging him from a tree. The boy managed to free himself. However, the entire story turns out to be fake and distorted. “Nevertheless, the tabloids ran all over it; and TV and the rest of Fleet Street joined in,” The Guardian article claims. Well-known newspapers such as The Independent, Times and The London Evening Standard were writing about the matter as ‘lynching’. Davies denounces news media to be full of profound falsehood. He criticizes the journalists’ approach and work, “journalists have always worked with too little time and too little certainty,” but also disapproves the
governmental system that interferes in and restricts the journalists’ work far too much. According to Davies, this intimidation and inhibition make it hard for the news media to operate independently and unbiased. In his opinion, “the general tendency to recycle ignorance is far worse than it was.” He gives factual data about recent research from specialists at Cardiff University that 80 % of the UK news stories from quality dailies (Telegraph, Guardian, Times) are “wholly, mainly or partially constructed from second-hand material, provided by news- or PR agencies,” whereas only 12 % are composed of material researched by reporters. The remaining 8 % stay unsure. Davie’s negative attitude towards journalism is evident throughout the article. He breaks with the whole industry of journalism. Similarly to the articles posted before, this internet article again shows the unreliability of media information. The trustworthiness of mass media is doubtful. Lack of time and insufficient research make it possible for media to create a distorted or altered reality.