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[ARCHIVE] VIEWPOINT
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MEDIA
NOVEMBER 2024
Facts vs Fake News - the story of an unhindered truth
By Eleni Stamoulakatou
Truth in Our Times - Inside the Fight for Press Freedom in the Age of Alternative Facts authored by David E. McCraw - first amendment lawyer and a general deputy counsel at the New York Times - is hands down a worthwhile read.
It goes from a scathing letter of refusal sent back in 2016 to a recount of the challenges of getting documents from the federal government through the Freedom of Information Act and essentially on the legal front, a paper's decision-making process on what is fit to print.
The success of a book is largely determined by how relevant it remains over time. In this context, a book is an indicator that measures the degree and type of progress made or not made within the premise of the topic it delves into. An author’s angle may or may not resonate with a reader’s point of view but if there is depth, insight and balance in the lens through which information is filtered and a focus on how to ignite a meaningful conversation, then a reader will come back. This revisit goes hand in hand with a reader’s personal growth, unique experiences and ultimately the way their personal outlook will progressively change them, prompting new ‘arrivals’ to occur. If with every new arrival, a book poses some level of resonance, then this speaks to an angle’s intertemporal relevance.
McCraw’s meticulous approach on the matter of factual representation vs libel, is as mature as it is contemporary but also timeless. In his recount of what was one of the most challenging legal battles around one of the most impctful stories ever published - namely the one following D.Trump's October 2016 demand for The New York Times to retract an article about two women who accused the then presidential candidate of touching them inappropriately behind - McCraw offers some true insight on the callenges that come in navigating the boundaries between the concept of defamation, the role of the First Amendment at the forefront of safeguarding and upholding both individual rights and societal interests, and ultimately, the fight, free of any blatant political partisanship, to stand against any individual or administration looking to suppress journalists from reporting the facts.
One can object to what they think is an inaccurate version of the truth, but society cannot afford to have the 'Col. Jesseps' of the world decide on what kind or how much of the truth one can handle. The truth is delivered through a factual account of the what, when, where, who and why, and facts have only one version that is up to the audience the interpert.
Truth in Our Times: Inside the Fight for Press Freedom in the Age of Alternative Facts by David E. McCraw is available on Goodreads.
To learn more about the First Amendment, visit Congress.gov.