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Putting up the best story that the public would be interested in is a tough job. There is always the need of highlighting ideas based on facts and the avoidance of personal opinions and fictions. Because when there’s a hole discovered in the story or if the line between facts and fiction blurrs, it’s not just the credibility of the writer who is at stake but also that of the editor and the entire publication. Some writers fabricate their stories to be able to attract more readers and make a name in the public.
The movie highlighted an essential factor that a writer especially a journalist should always avoid – plagiarism and fabrication. In the movie, the fact that most of the articles written by the main character, Stephen Glass, were proven to be ‘bogus’ shows that for a long period of time, the readers has been manipulated by this writer. He has already published enough to make his name ‘known’ to the public before they discovered about his bogus stories.
Since people have already built trust to him, it wasn’t easy for them to accept that most of his stories were fabricated. That is the problem when the line between fact and fiction is being blurred. Stephen Glass has already manipulated the minds of his co-writers which actually believed and enjoyed most of his stories simply because he tells it in the most interesting manner as he can. The movie served as an eye opener for the public to show that not all stories, articles or columns published in broadsheets or even in magazines are to be believed.
Some written statements might be based on facts but there are other details which may be fictional, included in the story just to make it more interesting for the readers. It shows that as a reader, we should not believe on everything we are reading. We should always be a wise sceptic when it comes to details given in the article. If we believe in everything that is written, we may be manipulated by the story or the writer.
Another important thought that a reader should learn from the movie is that there is a difference between stretching the truth to be able to produce an attractive story for the sake of fame and putting up a plain, simple and honest story all based on facts. Sometimes, journalists are the one who cannot be trusted. However, it is always up to the readers on whether or not they would simply allow themselves to be manipulated or would be a wise reader and verify facts. It is always essential that readers learn to be news literate in that way they would be able to weigh the objectivity of the story.