"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off" - Gloria Steinem, American journalist
When in casual or public conversation, or any sort of discourse or rhetoric, the first thing that should matter, and the main thing that should matter, and frankly all that should matter, being of paramount foundational importance, is... WHAT IS TRUE.
The realm of public, professional rhetoric, being shared to the populace belongs to that of the journalist. The frontline spokespeople for democracy. Because of this, the most important part of the media, by far, is a subgenre of it which is the journalistic press. IE, journalists - who research, write, and report on information to the public. Who's journalistic oath is "to seek truth and the public good. Expose injustice. Report with fairness and accuracy. Defend the public's right to know." When someone calls themself a journalist, however professional or amateur, they make certain promises to their audience. Ideally related to a pledge to impartiality, public service, but most of all truth. Cause whatever one's biases or whatever angle one comes at something from, all that should matter is what is true.
Real journalists make these promises to protect the credibility of their work and earn the public's trust. Because their work can have a profound impact on society, with a trust that the public places in them, it is essential that they uphold the highest standards of ethical journalism in the public interest as a commitment to the principles of fairness, accuracy, transparency, and independence in their work. Yet, unlike professions such as medicine or law, which require a medical or bar licence to operate within, usually because a patient or client's life can be in their hands, journalists don't have a formal set in stone oath that they must follow and if broken has consequences. But honorable individuals in the field of journalism absolutely view their commitment to truth, accuracy, and ethical reporting as a professional and personal responsibility and know their work is a fundamental element in serving the public interest and fostering a healthy democratic society. While ethical journalistic principles and codes of conduct vary by country and organization, one well-known example is the Society of Professional Journalists "Code of Ethics", which provides a set of guidelines for journalists. The SPJ Code of Ethics is based on four key principles: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent. All journalists, as well as authors, writers, publishers, streamers, commentators, documentarians such as ourselves, and anyone else active in the "news space" should adhere to these principles to maintain credibility and the public's trust. These codes typically outline principles and standards and the general golden rule being "speak truth and report it" because throughout all the noise and polarization, did we mention that all that should matter is what is true?
Now if we're honest and truthful, placing our hands on our hearts, we must admit that legacy media and far too much of new internet media, even in the democratic world, is utterly awash in lies. It does range on a political spectrum so the percentages of lies vary but we would say it's 50% of half truths at best on the honest end. Because, telling the truth entails pissing people off. And in the next one, we'll start to discuss who those people are.