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Subject:journalism and truth From:Susan Fowler <sfowler -at- EJV -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 25 Jan 1995 11:24:23 EST
Your story of the juggler is interesting, but it mis-proves your point: Although
the original journalist lied, another journalist didn't, but rather reported
the lie. The _institution_ or field works fine, in spite of the errors of
(many) of its practitioners.
Another way to put this is: Freedom of the press doesn't necessarily mean that
the newspaper or TV station in your home town is free to cover a scandal
affecting its biggest advertiser or the bodies buried in back of the local
prison. It _does_ seem to mean that the paper in the next town over can.
Inefficient and irritating perhaps, but better than press coverage in China,
say, or Croatia, where all reporters must toe the same line or else get
killed.
