The Scandal of the Times

A few weeks ago an “earthquake” rumbled trough the ranks of America’s most famous newspaper, The New York Times. A young, ambitious, and successful reporter was fired because of fabrication of  sources and material for stories. Jayson Blair is just 27 years old, and yet he was a “star” at the New York Times until he was finally fired. The turning point apparently came when he eloquently described things (which did not exist) around rescued POW Jessica Lynch’s home and someone checked up on him. He had been writing as if he were visiting places around the country when he was actually using his imagination as well as his cell phone for his “reporting.” He even plagiarized the story of at least one other reporter. Now the newspaper is  shaking at the foundations. Editors and reporters alike are being called into account. It seems no one is able to trust anyone any more.

Ah! There’s the rub! How can you trust a newspaper if you can’t trust its reporters? Should a news agency attempt to manipulate the news rather than just  report the news? Does the competition for the news dollar  dictate the  reporting of the news? Does a public company influence private practice? Does the truth really matter anymore?

These are questions (especially the last one) which everyone must face. The fact of the matter is, we can only survive as a society for as long as we can trust enough people in order for commerce and human relations to continue. When a husband and wife lie to one another, the family loses, but so does society. When a student cheats on a test or lies to the teacher, the school loses, but so does society. When an employee steals from his company, the company loses, but so does society. To use the analogy of a house, the mortar is crumbling between the bricks.

Americans better think long and hard about what we are doing and where we are going.  When we, by example or precept, teach our children to lie or distort the truth, we set upon a path we don’t want to follow to its destination. If we lie in front of them, we teach them to lie. If we lie to them, we teach them that truth is a sham and that trust in anyone is misplaced. 

The truly sad thing is that there are some people who call themselves Christians who cannot be trusted.  We are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).  Speak the truth!— Demand the truth!— Do not lie! (See Ephesians 4:25ff.)

Someone has aptly and truthfully said, “If you have integrity, nothing else matters; if you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”  —Lance Cordle