The media has always been tasked with bringing in news and information to the masses but can they truly be trusted in conveying the truth and only the truth?

The accuracy and reliability of the media is greatly influenced by many factors and the biggest among them would have to be profit. In the world of media, where possible contenders are many, companies tend to attempt in getting an edge or advantage over competitors. This in turn leads to news being altered or manufactured in order to make them potentially more interesting. Interviews and news clips are often edited before being aired in an effort to raise ratings and profit. This in turn seriously compromises the truth of news that the public will eventually come to view.

Prejudice over certain matters can severely alter the outcome of news regarding a certain matter. The media can certainly be seen as a prejudiced group as news is often reported in a one-sided matter where the other side has no say in the matter. In the recent Iraq war, pro-war events and interviews were seen to flood the American media while news regarding fallen soldiers and dying civilians were nowhere to be seen. How is the public expected to understand the true scale of the war when they are given such information? The masses may believe the war has ended well when they are viewing the celebration of President Bush on an aircraft carrier but will they still if they viewed rows of coffin draped in American flags being sent back?

Trust in media has apparently gone up in a recent poll by BBC but hopefully the trust is well placed and carefully considered.