Filtering the truth

(Baonghean) - There have been many stories from East and West, ancient and modern, about the journey to find the truth and the price to pay for "revealing" the truth. The truth is sometimes just trivial everyday matters, but sometimes, it is bigger, it is a matter of national importance, sometimes it is only related to a few people, a group of people, but other times it is a matter of the whole community and humanity.

Obviously, the thirst for truth, the thirst for truth is the common denominator of any nation, any era. Whoever grasps the truth, that is the winner, at least, is the winner of himself. In the journey of journalism, the truth is the compass for all "stages". From "listening" for information to confirming information; from practical surveys to drawing conclusions; from choosing "interview samples" to "certainty" in the answers... all are based on the truth, the truths that are traced to the end, in order to thoroughly resolve them in all areas of life. More than anyone else, the public is the one who longs for the truth. Reading an article, they hope to be provided with unknown information, or if they already know, they hope for a clear "verification". In response to these expectations, a true journalist must be the one who considers the truth as a good ideal for himself, in life and in work.

However, there is a seemingly paradoxical thing: Why is it so important that the truth sometimes still needs to be “filtered”? In other words, there are clearly determined truths, which are “obvious” truths, but they should not be announced to the public. This lies in both reason and emotion in the consciousness of journalists. When considered like that, the paradox will no longer exist, instead, there will be reason, in accordance with public opinion.

Many articles published in some online newspapers have shown a worrying reality: Anything that happens quickly becomes "material" to be "molded" and published. The story of a singer being tired from a long flight, a model going shopping, going to the gym, even the parents and children of the artist are "on the news"... Let's assume that all this information is true, but when this truth is released, is it beneficial to the majority of readers? A part of the fans, mainly young people, want to know every "move" of their idols, but that is only a small number, moreover, through each article, the important thing is to educate the awareness of the children, to admire but not neglect their studies. Looking at the artists, except for a few who like to create scandals to "polish" their names, the rest, they want to keep their own "truths", not to share and not to comment. Therefore, taking photos and reporting news is essentially “disturbing” others. Not to mention that many articles, by exposing the truth, have hurt the spirit and even affected the happiness of others.

Crime news also “attracts” many online newspapers. Appealing to the reader’s psychology, hoping to see the specific developments of the incident, many articles use sensational headlines to attract readers, and describe in detail the criminal acts as if he were witnessing them with his own eyes. So, after reading, a heavy feeling comes over, a horror of the so-called “human nature”, and it seems that everyone becomes more pessimistic about the unpredictable life.

Recently, the story of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh workers being “boycotted” in the southern industrial zones has been published on many websites. It may be true, but it is certainly “only part of the truth”. It is not advisable to generalize a few people to an entire region. Besides the negative aspects that are characteristic of regional characteristics, good qualities are still fundamental. It is because of the “proliferation” of this type of news that in reality, many workers in our province “going south” are facing difficulties.

In the journey of growing up and maturing, everyone has probably warned themselves more than once: "You must think twice before speaking", to orient yourself with certainty and caution. Journalists, more than anyone else, need to be deeply aware of this. Writing an article is not simply a way for you to make a living. Once the article "reaches" the readers' attention, it will have positive social impacts, even if the story
reflected as negative. Therefore, "filtering" the truth is an important step, so that the truth is the quintessential, essential truth!

Nguyen Nguyen