Whoever holds the power tries to own the truth

Essay by G.J.I June 2004

download word file, 6 pages 4.4 3 reviews

Who ever holds the power tries to own the truth. Truth is a powerful aspect of life, and if manipulated correctly it can control many lives and change the course of events. Therefore it is logical that people who have power try to attain more power or maintain the power they already have - and they do this by trying to own the truth. People who have power are those who are wealthy, people who help others out financially, people who have a high position in the work place hierarchy, people who are technologically advanced and intelligent, and those in political positions.

These themes are seen in Frontline episodes, "The Matrix", the Watergate scandal, and in a quote by Richard Whately.

Wealthy people or institutes hold great power. In fact it is their wealth and connections that makes them most intimidating. In the Frontline episode "Smaller Fish to Fry", Media Watch criticize the Frontline team saying that they only go after the small-time cheats (in this case a Fridge repairman), and the team never goes "after the big fish".

Mike is struck by the truthfulness of this argument. So with the help of another journalist - Bob Foster, Mike goes after a "big fish". Mike is told that a major bank is involved in illegal lending practices. Mike goes to Brian with the story and Brian procrastinates, asking for evidence. Eventually, the story is not aired and the evidence is lost. The banks maintain their privacy (and the truth) because they have the power to threaten legal action - which only wealthy institutes can afford. Therefore, those who have positions of power own truth.

An advantage of being wealthy is having the power to sponsor companies or networks. The ability to stop that sponsorship makes people or institutes very...