ACCURACY IN MEDIA?

“Study to shew (show) thyself approved, ... a workman that needeth not to be ashamed...” (from 2 Timothy 2:15).

The MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, MA) for Saturday, December 9, 2006, was one of the sloppiest pieces of journalism that I’ve ever seen!  The front page headline reads “Man dies days after being stabbed” and the sub headline reads “20-year-old from Framingham was bouncer at Boston club”.  The story caught my attention because I couldn’t believe they’re employing 20-year-olds (who aren’t even at the legal drinking age) to be bouncers at bars.  Then I read the story.  And, I had to reread the story.  The truth is that a 32-year-old bouncer who lives in Framingham was stabbed by a 20-year-old guy from Natick, at a Boston nightclub.  Thirty-five years ago I was on the staff of the Canton High School newspaper.  I think Mrs. Murray, the faculty advisor, would have given me a chewing out if I’d have done such a sloppy job.

It doesn’t stop there!  On page 5 of Saturday’s MetroWest Daily News are two stories by Joseph Dwinnell.  One is entitled “Driver charged with vehicle homicide”.  The other is entitled “Dump truck driver charged in girl’s death”.  When you read the text of both stories, the text is EXACTLY THE SAME.  I guess the paper wanted to make sure we all read the story, one way or the other!  A week or so ago, there was a front page story about a crime committed by a young man who attended our church when he was a little boy.  The story was SO POORLY WRITTEN that I had to read it several times to make ANY sense of it, and I got the same feedback from some Members of our church.  My wife actually wants me to CANCEL having the paper delivered to our home!

On Monday morning, I picked up a Boston Herald to read over breakfast at McDonald’s.  At the bottom of page 7 is a story about John McCain addressing a Jewish group about Iran.  The story says, “McCain, who failed to gain the GOP presidential nomination in 1998,...”  Listen, you don’t need to read ANY more of that story!  If the writer doesn’t even know that McCain ran for the 2000 Presidential nomination and not the 1998 nomination; and if the writer doesn’t even know we elect a President every four years and 1998 wasn’t one of them, then why does that writer even have a job with a newspaper?!

Recently, my sister dug out a box of Boston Globes from the 1960s and 1970s that my mother had saved.  The front page story of one of them is about Bobby Kennedy’s funeral.  Another’s is about JFK’s funeral.  Still another’s is about Richard Nixon in the midst of his political problems. She even saved the Globe which had the story of artist Andy Warhol being shot.  I’m not a big Boston Globe fan, but I’d imagine that there’s a lot more accuracy in those newspapers than in the papers of today!

I know many of you say, “Well, I get MY news from the internet!”
If you think the internet is any more reliable, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you!