The Importance of Distinguishing Between News and Entertainment

While there is a lot of discussion on a national level about “fake news” and reliable journalism, it’s been my experience on a local level we primarily have journalists and reporters who make a good-faith effort to accurately inform our community about what’s happening.  As in every profession, sometimes mistakes happen, but by and large, they provide a valuable service providing information to the public.

With that being said, I believe there is a difference between news and entertainment.  A legitimate news organization will seek out information from sources who have firsthand knowledge of what’s occurring.  An entertainment organization may show up on a scene, interview people in the area with third hand information and speculate as to what they believe is happening.  Unfortunately, this can often time lead to mis-information being reported as “news” and cause unnecessary panic.

Most area law enforcement agencies, ours included, work collectively with legitimate news sources on a regular basis in an effort to get accurate information to the public in a timely manner.  Depending on the situation, which are often times fluid, an entertainment source may be first to “report” because the legitimate reporters are busy trying to gather accurate information.

While these entertainment sources can be… entertaining, it’s important for people to recognize where the information is coming from and attribute the appropriate level of confidence in its accuracy. 

Stay safe and God Bless, 

Sheriff David Groves