Mass media facts are always accurate but never true

Evidence

Wrenched from all context, detached from thought, they are made instantly accessible to an infantile grasp. They may never be broadened out in any way but like favourite dishes they must obey the rule of identity if they are not to be rejected as false or alien. They must always be accurate but never true. — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry, 127

Categorization

• APHORISMS: ‘They must always be accurate but never true’ is a precise, reusable diagnostic for evaluating contemporary news and information — a lens for the stated goal of running the analysis on new culture.