People read newspapers to learn what is happening in the world. They want to know that the stories they read are true. A journalist must report the truth. Newspaper reporters are responsible for finding the facts about an event and writing them down accurately. They have to be careful that they quote people correctly as well. Unfortunately, accuracy does not always occur in reporting.
The New York Times, one of the oldest newspapers in the United States, knows this fact all too well. In 2007, one of its reporters resigned from his job at the newspaper because of the mistakes found in his articles. Jayson Blair included quotes in his stories from people to whom he had never spoken. He also plagiarized, which means that he took other writers' work and used it as his own. The New York Times had a serious problem. People might stop reading the newspaper if they have reason to think its articles are false.
If a person lies, other people will be less likely to trust him or her. The same thing is true for newspapers. The New York Times has worked hard to regain its readers' trust after Jayson Blair resigned. After all, The New York Times has a reputation to uphold.
1
What is the purpose of the following detail from the passage?
"Jayson Blair included quotes in his stories from people to whom he had never spoken."
A.
to demonstrate why people still read the newspaper today
B.
to show that accurate news reporting does not always happen
C.
to explain why The New York Times plagiarized information
D.
to show why most newspaper reporters do not report the truth
1 answer
The purpose of the detail "Jayson Blair included quotes in his stories from people to whom he had never spoken" is:
B. to show that accurate news reporting does not always happen.
This detail illustrates a specific instance where a journalist failed to report the truth, highlighting the potential for inaccuracy in news reporting.
