Crimes of Reporting: The Unhappy End of a Fact-Finding Mission in the Bible

AbstractThis article analyzes the famous Biblical account of a group sent by Moses to scout the Holy Land in anticipation of its conquest (Num. 13-14) and focuses on the unhappy ending of the story. It examines three explanations for why the scouts were punished: (a) for adding their opinions to the facts they were supposed to report (editorializing), (b) for insinuating their opinions into the report itself (bias), and (c) for releasing the report to the public rather than funneling it through the leader. The article analyzes not only the story itself but also the story of the story to reveal the narrator's ideological position. (Mass Communication)