Nothing But the Truth

I’ve been reading a book of short autobiographies. One story that captured my attention was of the British entrepreneur Joseph Caplan. He struggled to make a fortune and through a series of unforeseen events, he lost it all. The beginnings of his trouble occurred when he hired a prominent political figure named Jeremy to sit on the board of directorship for one of his enterprises. Political enemies of Jeremy targeted him with the intent to bring him down. These men began a concerted attack by scandalizing Jeremy’s past. They turned his private life into a public disgrace. The press joined them, having a field day exposing Jeremy’s past indiscretions. The press soon included Joseph’s businesses and finally Joseph himself became “guilty” as well.

The attacks on Jeremy continued and the names of Joseph’s companies soon filled the tabloids. Joseph’s name was never mentioned of course, but his businesses were constantly front page news. The continual reports of “guilt by association” painted Joseph with the same brush as Jeremy. The scandal of Jeremy’s past whetted an all-consuming public appetite that caused Joseph’s enterprises to collapse.

Joseph’s myriad businesses were dissolved by liquidators and his assets were slowly sold for a fraction of their value to pay creditors and keep food on his table. The innuendos of the press blamed him for all of the losses. With only the view of the press, the public believed the stories. The legal inquiries that followed were prolonged and humiliating for Joseph and his family.

Reporters pressured Joseph for interviews. At first, he eagerly accepted their requests, naively believing he could clear his name by sharing facts of his innocence with them. He gave hundreds of interviews, but none were ever published. Instead of reporting with truthful stories, the press only wanted photographs of Joseph, his family, his home, and his car. It was the kind of things that the public enjoyed reading. Then when Joseph refused to give any more interviews, unscrupulous reporters created their own stories filled with innuendos, misrepresentations, and outright lies.

Much of what happened to Joseph Caplan in the 1970s, still continues today. Many of the present day reporters from newspapers, radio, and television are lacking in integrity. They’ve become mere commentators, regurgitating someone else’s thoughts. They mouth scripts of the parent company and try to foist those views on the public. Reporters no longer do their own research for facts, nor dig for the truth behind events. There is no honest presentation of their findings. The entirety of the media is no longer content to present the facts and allow the public to make their own decisions.