Journalism and Truth

Other disciplines, Goldstein tells us, have clear protocols for gathering evidence and searching for truth.  Journalism, however, has some curious conventions that may actually work against such a goal.  Looking at how journalism has changed over time--and with it, notions about accuracy and truth in reporting--Goldstein explores how these long-standing and ultimately untrustworthy conventions developed.  He also examines why reliable standards of objectivity and accuracy are critical not just to a free press but to the democratic society it informs and serves.  From a historical overview to a reconsideration of a misunderstood book about journalism (The Journalist and the Murderer) to a reflection on the coverage of the war in Iraq, his book offers a remarkably wide-ranging and thought-provoking account of how journalism and truth work--or fail to work--together, and why it matters.