False news reports

[#1]

Not sure how many people saw the recent Documentary by John Pilger but it included interviews with a number of journalists who admitted to printing facts based on the information provided by the military rather than what they witnessed themselves.
With access restricted in war zones it was impossible to verify the military briefings given to reporters and a number of those interviewed on the program deeply regretted reporting as fact things that were later shown to be clearly not true.

[#2]

I didn't see the programme but the notion of "False news reports" doesn't surprise me as it's been happening ever since language appeared.

[#3]

Senator Hiram Warren Johnson - "The first casualty when war comes is truth"

[#4]

on the Harrier report from the Falklands

Quote

They all went out and they all came back

[#5]

Many, many moons ago, I used to be married to a journalist; I view them all through jaundiced eyes. Her motto, and that of many others in her trade was, "Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story".
Standards in journalism, as in many other occupations and professions, do not appear to have improved. IMHO take whatever you see, hear, or read, with a very liberal pinch of salt, until you can verify it from another source. Of course, there are good and bad journalists... 

[#6]

Quote from: gleneagles

With access restricted

is the key point, and not just in war. Write a story that upsets the people at the top and you lose your press pass.

[#7]

or get thrown in chokey on false charges from a foreign power at the best of big brother from across the pond?

[#8]

I teach at a University, and one thing we teach is doing research and assessing the validity of sources.
An exercise I often set is to ask the students to read any day's Daily Mail and Independent. Find the same news story in both papers. Then try and work out the truth.

[#9]

thats easy, the D Exp and D maiil never tell the full honest truth

[#10]

What is truth ? What one person considers is the truth the other person will consider as lies ?
Try asking what the truth is with regards politics and religion !!

[#11]

There are multiple truths in both subjects.

[#12]

From what I've gathered after much research into the subject, the only universal truth that is true is "the cake is a lie" apparently.  No idea why the cake is a lie but, its the truth!  Wait, how can a lie be the truth? Ach, headache.

[#13]

Something is either true or it is not. However, perception of truth is another matter altogether. I can think something is true but another person may think it a lie, the fact is that it can only be one or the other.