The Journalist's Curse: Just Print What They Say

Is audience skepticism sufficient to make sense of the news? Media habitually quote sources without scoring their comments as universal truth or white lie, commonplace or profound, magnanimous or subversive, documented or baseless, true or false. Headlines are emblematic of this journalist's curse. Just a few capture the contradictions of Bulgaria. From the Sofia Morning News, Dec. 7, 2012:

• ASSANGE BACKS BULGARIAN JOURNALISTS IN EXPOSING PM'S CRIMINAL PAST
• BULGARIA ADVERTISED AS INVESTMENT DESTINATION IN LONDON
• BULGARIA PRESIDENT TO VETO PROVISIONS OF INVESTMENT PROMOTION ACT
• ABB TO INVEST USD 23 M IN 4TH BULGARIAN FACTORY, ADD 600 JOBS
• BULGARIAN MPS PASS 2013 BUDGET AMIDST SCANDALS
• BULGARIA BANKS SUFFER BIGGEST FUNDING DROP IN EU'S EAST - FITCH
• EPP CHIEF BLASTS TOP BULGARIAN SOCIALIST FOR UNDEMOCRATIC TALK
• EC PROBES GRID FEE FOR BULGARIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCERS.
• BULGARIA'S FINMIN TERMS OPPOSITION MPS 'DRUNKS', APOLOGIZES
• BULGARIAN OPPOSITION ASKS PROBE IN RESEARCH FUNDING SCANDAL
• SOFIA RANKED LAST IN EU BY QUALITY OF LIVING
• MAYOR OF NORTHWESTERN BULGARIAN TOWN FACES EMBEZZLEMENT, MALFEASANCE CHARGES

CREDIT: "All rights reserved (c) Novinite Ltd., 2001-2012. You are permitted to use any of the articles only if you obligatory quote the source: Sofia News Agency (www.novinite.com) Sofia Morning News is a registered trademark No 33727/10.08.1998 under the Bulgaria's Patent Office."