This past week, the media’s role as watchdogs was put to the test. President Obama and his administration released their new budget plan, after many weeks of debate and amending. There has been an overflow of reactions and opinion of this new legislation, by those influencing it and those being affected by it. One such person was Jack Lew, the ex budget director for Clinton and Obama, and current White House Chief of Staff. As the high assistant to the president, and his former budget director, Lew’s statements on the plan would have been very important, if they were right. His remarks on the Congressional process caught the attention of many news sources, including The Washington Post’s Greg Kessler. Kessler maintains a blog for the Post called The Fact Checker, which examines political and media rhetoric and looks for the truth. He posted his own response to Lew’s comments on the Senate, and provided the truth behind its procedures.

Some have been critical of the media in these kind of situations, claiming that their job isn’t to expose liars, but isn’t it? One of my professors this semester continually asks if our job is to “hold a mirror to society.” And I believe that is what our purpose and focus should be. We should report the new and facts, regardless of who may be hurt (as long as it isn’t libelous.) If the Republican party is composed of criminals, referring to the Watergate scandal, we have the responsibility of reporting that to society. If Democratic leaders are misleading the country in their rhetoric, that should be told. Politics shouldn’t matter. The facts are the facts. We have core responsibilities as journalists to inform the public and provide society with the information they deserve and require. Every time someone bashes the media for sticking their nose where it shouldn’t be, I just laugh. If that were true, for the last 200 years, the news would just be one large Facebook page, filled with b.s. just to fill white space.