RUMORS AND THE MEDIA News organizations are reluctant to report - TopicsExpress



          

RUMORS AND THE MEDIA News organizations are reluctant to report rumors, especially harmful ones. Yet the failure to report some rumors may confuse, frighten or alienate the public. As a rumor spreads through a community, more people are likely to become interested in it and believe it. People who hear a rumor but see no coverage of it also are likely to believe journalists are deliberately suppressing the story. Some rumors involve important issues, such as racial conflicts, and may cause widespread anxiety. Normally, responsible editors investigate the rumors and, if they find no evidence the rumors are true, conclude there is no story. Editors will consider a rumor’s effects upon the community, and especially upon innocent people. They may decide a story exposing a rumor as untrue will be more helpful to the people involved — such as by clearing a person’s reputation — than if the news organization remained silent.” Book: Reporting for the Media (OXFORD)
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 19:17:33 +0000

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