I know I am a little late responding but here it is anyway...
Is deception by the media ever justified? Well I would like to say no, but there are some cases that I believe deception should be applicable. I mean, of course I would like to know the truth about what is happening in the nation, but due to the safety of the nation, sometimes things need to be withheld.
I believe that the NY Times was in the right to hold the NSA wiretapping story for a year. When the President decided to wire phone lines, he knew that it was not just an internal problem. By wiretapping the government was able to find information that was connected to the terrorist attack. If the NY times would have printed the story, then the source of the information would have been out. I think that for the safety of the country and for the need that the nation had for the information they were receiving the story could not have been printed.
No one likes to be decieved, but sometimes it is the best for the greater good.
2 comments:
By wiretapping the government was able to find information that was connected to the terrorist attack.
I'm not sure what you're referring to, Megan. Do you mean 9-11? The government wasn't wiretapping US citizens before that.
If the NY times would have printed the story, then the source of the information would have been out.
Again, I'm not clear on what you mean. What source would have been out? If the NYT had published the story when they found out about the wiretaps (in the fall of 2004), the public outcry might have meant Bush wouldn't have been re-elected. Do you think that might have had something to do with White House pressure to shush the story?
I was unclear on the NYT wiretaping story so my first response was shaky. But I feel like the only time the media should decieve is when the Nation's security is in danger. But to answer your question, withholding the story probably did influence the re-election of Bush. No citizen likes to be lied to, especailly in times of crisis. Deception can pull a country apart, so I am pretty sure that there would have been upset citizens and Bush would not have been re-elected.
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