"'We do not often print everything we know,'" reveals David Lawerence, publisher of the Miami Herald (qtd. in Valente 4). There is a contrast between printing everything that is known, selecting information to disregard, and presenting information that is simply false. This difference has an impact on society. Media personnel representing a major bias also have an affect on facts that are being analyzed by the masses. Thus, accuracy in journalism is important to help an informed public make decisions.

"Journalists are trained to operate under a professional code of values and ethics..." states a foreman for the Society of Professional Journalists ("Code of Ethics" 1). According to the SPJ, each individual in the media is aware of their code of ethics. An important ethical concern of the society is that journalists need to be accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers, and each other. They are responsible to "test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error" (1). The society does not permit the deliberate misuse of information. Not only that, but "unethical practices of other journalists...should be uncovered and exposed" (2).

Thomas Rush, a democratic senator from Illinois, wants to get a bill passed in Congress to force inaccuracies and laziness in the media to be more punishable. The Rush bill is aimed to target the incorrect media that is affecting the public directly. Another aspect of the bill is to improve racism in the media work place, which also causes bias (Langone 238). The bill has a myriad of backing, but the support continues to fuel the fire between the media and the public.

when in reality, in order to succeed, reform and change is necessary. In the future, society can hope that journalists strive to meet the standards their held up to.

Changing the media for the better is always a goal of society. Always trying to achieve perfection is the American way. Comments with negative slants tend to set back society, and change its outlook, however. Nothing can be accomplished in the way of progressing to journalistic heights with comments such as, "...media reform is a societal illness," as stated in the article by Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., found on EBSCOHost. The comment by an anonymous journalist projects the idea that reform is a waste of time,

Cases of past media inaccuracies have affected the way journalism is reported today. As a direct result of early discrepancies, some journalists are taking it as their cue to shape up their reporting. Others are taking the fact that poor reporting in the past has been punishable only with a slap-on-the wrist to mean that lazy and irresponsible reporting is not a concern of the public's. Some companies are out to prove these journalists wrong.

What the public views on TV has a great impact on how they act in life. According to a poll conducted at the Roper Center, 71% of those surveyed said they relied on news in helping them make "practical decisions...in manners such as investing, purchasing, voting, health, and education" (Valente 4). Accurate and honest information is then crucial to the quality of the decisions made by the public.

Contention is that the media is irresponsibly presenting the public with information that is either false or bias. The motives behind these actions need to be taken into consideration by the public, however. A myriad of journalists report the news conscientiously, leaving out pieces of stories here and there to either cut down on time, to

cases because it struck the hardest and it blackened the eyes of journalism (Koch 1129). What shocked most was that Glass was never formally charged, just quietly dismissed.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Media Bias, Thomas Rush, Brands Company, Jones Gannett, Media Claim, According SPJ, Real Page, Local TV, Okoampa-Ahoofe Jr, SIRS Researcher, koch 1129, media bias, valente 4, code ethics, nightly network, sirs researcher, article public press, langone 238, liberals believe, public information, qtd koch 1129, popular belief, wrong sirs researcher, public press wrong, press wrong sirs,
Approximate Word count = 2895
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)