How newspapers twist a simple report
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008Norman Solomon; 16/7/08
We often have an image of the journalist as a consummate professional who provides the requisite summary of events with almost scientific precision. While it is true that the news coverage we get is often quite predictable in terms of how it is presented, this has much more to do with professional imitation than objective standards. For instance, let us consider a New York Times news article that appeared on the paper’s website after the Iranian government tested missiles on July 9. — “Iranian Revolutionary Guards practicing war-game maneuvers test-fired nine missiles on Wednesday, including at least one the government in Tehran describes as having the range to reach Israel,” The New York Times reported. It would have been equally valid to lead off the news report this way: “Iranian forces practiced what they said were defensive maneuvers when they test-fired nine missiles on Wednesday — including at least one the government in Tehran describes as having the range to reach Israel, which is reportedly making preparations to launch an attack on Iran.”
