Recently, a student around me was interviewing for news and encountered some difficulties related to politics and business. Her family was worried she would be accused of "blocking people's profits." The student told her family, "If I'm this scared right after entering society, why am I doing this job? I'll only be afraid when I receive death threats."
After hearing this, I was truly impressed by her passion for journalism.
The reason I bring this up is because there are some complicated interview processes and details to watch out for. In news handling, it's easy to lack balance or be too subjective, making it easy for reporters to be exploited by certain parties. She also mentioned that she had indeed believed one side's account, which led her to write an article that might have been overly biased.
This discussion reminded me of when I first started writing news, I would only write about one side's account properly, believing that the source I interviewed first was right. Then I would carelessly take this perspective and verify it with other sources, and because of my subjective mindset, I would mistakenly think everyone else was lying. But actually, having preconceived notions is very dangerous for journalists, and if you don't realize you have such thoughts, it's even more dangerous.
Later, as I encountered more and more different incidents and met people with ulterior motives, even after I'd reported 90% of their accounts, they would text me saying I wanted to harm them, even harassing the lawyers I interviewed. There was also a time when I contacted a company using my office phone for verification, but they obtained my personal number through various means, suddenly texted saying thank you for my neutral reporting, and then two months later I received a certified letter notifying me of a lawsuit. A year after that, they lost in court, and only then was my name cleared.
After being exposed to different perspectives on people, events, and matters, I gradually clarified how to have my own values and use my own judgment to determine what is true, what is false, or whether there is really a true or false at all. Everyone's account might be true, but that doesn't necessarily make it right. It all depends on how you select fragments to present in an article or video, without preconceiving the idea of giving "someone" the truth, because for everyone, the truth is different, and its meaning is also different.
Later, when discussing news handling with a junior colleague, the topic of "obtaining the other party's response" came up. She said she felt the other party's response was "the same as not responding." However, I shared my own perspective on "responses."
I believe that if one unilaterally thinks the other party's "response" is the same as no response, it's because the reporter themselves has subjective bias, thinking the response should address the main point, core issue, or some angle they want to know about. In an objective sense, however, responses include statements like "currently under investigation," "unable to comment," or "we have heard the suggestions" — these are all responses. At minimum, they shouldn't disappear, shouldn't be silent.
You don't necessarily need to pursue substantive or meaningful content in the other party's response. As long as they have responded with their current stance, you've achieved the purpose of verification, because verification itself is also a form of notification.
However, in doing journalism, many people will speak favorably of themselves, disguising things to make it seem as though they are the victim. What you must learn is how to discern the truth, and after clarifying it, not expose the other party, while also avoiding being used as a tool — this is the survival rule in this world.
Of course, there is another aspect to lament. In the business realm, using interests as exchange, whether win-win or multi-win, at least results in mutual gain. However, media combines both commerce and power, and in a power-driven environment, there is no pure interest exchange. Instead, it's relationships, connections, attitudes, culture, and fate — these intangible things — that become the key to whether communication goes smoothly. Of course, business is also related to connections and relationships, but in media, when you want to obtain something, the ability to communicate in a way that makes people comfortable while achieving your purpose is important, but more often than not, it's actually about power.
