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Quantity or quality?

What would you prefer: to buy a thick version of The Times with a huge volume of unreliable articles or The Times which would be twice thinner but much trustworthy?

Cardiff University researchers came up with striking findings – that the most respectful newspapers in the country are routinely recycling unchecked second-hand materials. They found that “60% of those quality-print stories consisted wholly or mainly of PR material and wire copy. And a further 20 % contained clear statements of wire copy or PR to which more or less other material has been added. Only 12 % of the stories were generated by the reporters themselves and only 12 % of key facts being checked.

Today journalists working in a national newspaper are turning out nearly ten stories a day, spending most of the time in office. In the times when the speed efficiency and short deadlines are above everything else journalists are not able to check the facts and to tell their readers the truth about what's going on around.

Media outlets try to save money employing fewer journalists then ever before, but at the same time keep the volume of material the same. Commercialism - that what is the greatest obstacle to truth telling journalism.

Produce more in the less time is the motto for modern journalism. So, can we rely on the articles in the newspapers if these articles based on PR press releases (which have their own agenda)?

Are we getting the information we want to know or we are just being fed with a junk food?

Quantity or quality?!

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