Is a journalist an asshole or is there something more behind complaints and fakes? Most of the people think pressmen are motherfuckers because completely unable to describe the truth by truth. Well, sometime it can be the case (I will write about, one day) but other times is not. On the contrary, information is manipulated by non-pressmen. Politicians, lobbyists, NGOs, stakeholders, corporations... Every player has to be sure readers read the truth he wants. Starting from this concept we are full of situations where "stakeholders" try to get media endorsement for free, arriving to exert pressure and to interfere with journalists activity in case pressmen don't sell the new as "stakeholder" want. Let's take the Nativity and suppose that Joseph is Mary's spokesperson. You will forgive if I chose a holy example, but according to the first pressmen commandment «Thou shalt have no other gods before a journalist», so forget for a while to Jesus. I apologise with all those who believe, but I'm pretty sure in the Western societies there will be a lot of people who'll can better understand thanks to this example. So, Joseph is Mary's spokesperson and he sends a SMS to a group of journalist to inform that in the margin of the childbirth she will some meetings. Immediately after one of the journalists uses the SMS to twit the following message: «Mary will meet the Magi in the margin of the childbirth». In one minute time Joseph calls the journalist asking him «Who did you tell Mary is going to meet the Magi?» and pointing out that «you did something it hasn't to be done, because such a tweet can make Mary upset». Given the situation, we have to explain the case as follows:
1) When a spokesperson sends a message, he basically sends an information. In this way he is what in journalism is called "a source". Pressmen use sources in order to produce new, and the fact Mary is going to meet people is indeed a new. Thus, journalists make their job;
2) In using sources journalists have to safeguard them. Now, the tweet text «Mary will meet the Magi in the margin of the childbirth» doesn't quote anybody, doesn't refer to anybody, doesn't provide any information on the source. Thus journalist acted correctly and in line with is professional obligations. Even in case of torture and subsequent revelation of the source by the pressman, Joseph will be safe because in his message he never specified that Mary had to meet the Magi. Furthermore, since the pressman didn't provide any indication about the source, the source of information can be whoever we want. So, Joseph will be never in troubles.
3) By rules people writing through social media do it at personal title, unless they don't use the official page/account of the media the represent or they work for. Thus, it is not possible to link the pressman to any media when he writes on his own web pages.
Having said all this, let's come back to Joseph's question «Who did you tell Mary is going to meet the Magi?»- Well, the answer is «no one, it's me who tell». In this case, since it's the pressman is writing by his own, it's up to Joseph or Mary to decide for a clarification.
The real problem is nothing but Mary. When Joseph says «such a tweet can make Mary upset» we see how both Mary and Joseph play their game. If the story makes Mary upset it doesn't make sense tell journalists she will have meetings in the margin of the long waited childbirth. The point here is both Mary and his communication strategy advisor (Joseph) expected the SMS to be used in another way, which is that one of saying everything will be all right, there will be no problems, as shown by Mary who despite pregnancy will continue to work. That's what we can call "endorsement". I guess it's useless to recall that media are not Mary's press office. For this kind of business the Four Evangelists are there.
Out of metaphor, here we have a classical example of how society tries to establish the journalistic agenda to pressmen, in a clear demonstration of how free is the press and in clear violation of the basic rule of media independence. Of course pressmen ready to turn in yesmen are not few, and you will see a lot of journalists playing Mary and Joseph's game. And there the truth is described by untruth.
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