Jounalistic Ethics

A lot of journalists seem to think that Ethics is the county in England next to Thuthics.

A case in point ( courtesy of The Eternal Golden Braid) : Wood TV's mendacious hatchet job against an inoffensive Science Fiction Magazine. The scope of the distortion is breathtaking: it goes beyond exaggeration, and strays into the realm of the bald-faced lie.

To see just how bad the story is, read the magazine's reply : but a better way would be to go to the current issue and read some of the stories yourself (a few are available free). According to Wood TV, remember, these are "Adult" stories, in a salacious Porno Mag. If so, Ik ben Nederlander.

This may seem like a Tempest in a Teapot, but when exactly did we allow such deliberate fabrication of "news" to become something no longer extraordinary? At what time did the profession of "journalist" become as besmirched as "used-car salesman"? Did the problem always exist as bad as it is now, or has it gotten worse, or is it that the Internet has caused us to notice it more?