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17-01-2014, 01:20 AM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
In the longwinded piece, the Straits Times’ “Readers Editor”, Yap Koon Hong, stoutly – or at least he tried to be, apparently – defended Ching’s “120 hounds” story.
Besides the very conspicuous absence of an apology for what was clearly a case of poor editorial oversight, and a lack of verification of facts, Mr Yap goes on what could only be described as twisted logic in his explanation.
In particular, his remark about what ‘truth’ is and how this is ascertained, or not, is telling.
“[The] truth in media is as much a function of opinion as it is of fact,” Mr Yap declares. “Readers often think that newspapers must publish only the ultimate Tao – unimpeachably verified facts – and if they do not, editors and journalists are being tardy and unprofessional. In fact (and this is technically an opinion, see what I mean?), truth is often as nuanced as the currently proverbial fifty shades of grey.”
He goes on: “Also, facts may not necessarily be accepted as the whole truth and nothing but, even if they are certifiable.”
And ending his piece, Mr Yap says:
“It is true that a newspaper’s duty and credibility depend on getting the facts right. It is equally true that the inability to verify the accuracy of a story may still require a newspaper to run it because of the tale’s portent. For better or for worse, this is the Tao of media practice, which is the daily grapple in deciding how to offer readers an informed, best guess about what happened and why, when there is no factual way of knowing.”
And the punchline:
http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2014...ew-york-times/ (http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2014/01/will-straits-times-convoluted-excuse-work-for-new-york-times/)
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?172815-Yaacob-s-MCI-silent-on-ST-s-120-dog-story-but-kpkb-New-York-Times&goto=newpost).
In the longwinded piece, the Straits Times’ “Readers Editor”, Yap Koon Hong, stoutly – or at least he tried to be, apparently – defended Ching’s “120 hounds” story.
Besides the very conspicuous absence of an apology for what was clearly a case of poor editorial oversight, and a lack of verification of facts, Mr Yap goes on what could only be described as twisted logic in his explanation.
In particular, his remark about what ‘truth’ is and how this is ascertained, or not, is telling.
“[The] truth in media is as much a function of opinion as it is of fact,” Mr Yap declares. “Readers often think that newspapers must publish only the ultimate Tao – unimpeachably verified facts – and if they do not, editors and journalists are being tardy and unprofessional. In fact (and this is technically an opinion, see what I mean?), truth is often as nuanced as the currently proverbial fifty shades of grey.”
He goes on: “Also, facts may not necessarily be accepted as the whole truth and nothing but, even if they are certifiable.”
And ending his piece, Mr Yap says:
“It is true that a newspaper’s duty and credibility depend on getting the facts right. It is equally true that the inability to verify the accuracy of a story may still require a newspaper to run it because of the tale’s portent. For better or for worse, this is the Tao of media practice, which is the daily grapple in deciding how to offer readers an informed, best guess about what happened and why, when there is no factual way of knowing.”
And the punchline:
http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2014...ew-york-times/ (http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2014/01/will-straits-times-convoluted-excuse-work-for-new-york-times/)
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?172815-Yaacob-s-MCI-silent-on-ST-s-120-dog-story-but-kpkb-New-York-Times&goto=newpost).