I don't really trust what's written in magazine. In my opinion, the results of surveys are as good as those who answer with honesty.

They can really be either...

The same question can produce different result depending on a variety of factors. a group of men will like give different answers than a group of women on this same subject. How old are the respondents, where do they live, are they men, are they women, how old are they, do they have children, do they work, are they working class, poor, upper class. or how many people answered ? I could go on. The writer will provide results for that survey but until you know the target group you will have to accept the results as presented.

I have seen magazines that print the truth and don't.

I read home improvement, gardening, architectural, art magazines and such. Most magazines these days are full of opinions and misinformation or manufactured false stories. I avoid anything that pushes propaganda as fact and anything that tries to change and rewrite history with new theories.Edited 16-Mar-25 23:00pm

Even newspaper journalists in the 1940s printed things that were never said. A person from overseas cannot comment about something they know nothing about.

It depends on the magazine or paper you are reading. Some are known for just trash -- these are the tabloids etc. Others that have a focus point -- fishing, crocheting, crafts, birds etc are more reliable I think.

An engineered mix of facts and fiction to create society opinions.

I say a lot are fiction. Paper lays still, and you can write anything on it.

It depends on the magazine that you have. I prefer only reading about nature and wildlife as they put some good information about the animals since I have a lobe for them,but a lot of them has random nonsense in it and has a way of disturbing the truth to make a sell. Can't always believe what u read.

I buy second hand magazines from the thrift store. I only read gardening and craft magazines. The gossip mags cost a fortune and they're full of nonsense for airheads.

It depends on the stories.

Love my Fishing Magazine.

I havee given up on magazines because of the stories, I do buy a couple of puzzle magazines but only do the puzzles and ignire the srories, get sick of people showing off fat naked bodies because they have lost weight and oregnant women. I thought magazunes were supposed to be entertainment.

As a retired journalist I can say that when given a story to write it was important to do research and be able to back up our information because editors are responsible if we are found to be just making up info or facts. Today so much of what we read or hear is just based on opinions and all our Media except the ABC, SBS and BBC are tied to political parties and so they will be biased in what they claim. However when we have an outrageous liar, fabricator of facts and dangerous bigot still elected as President of the USA who cares what is truth?

It depends on the magazine. There is so much fake news out there, you do have to be careful what you believe. The Bible is the only book that will tell you the truth all the time.

Everybody has their own point of view. They will progress their side of the argument because that is the way they believe it to be.

Don't read magazines.

It depends on the magazine. I complained to the editor of my local paper because the heading said "editorial" but it was in fact an opinion piece. It can be an opinion piece but if it is don't claim it isn't. I asked if the editor knew the difference because I do. I didn't receive a reply but then Covid hit and goodbye local rag. I avoid the scandal rags but I have always enjoyed The Readers Digest. Many years ago I was given a copy of The Awake and it had an article about a medical condition. As I read it I decided I was suffering from the condition so went to see my GP. He poo pooed it because it is a religious book he claimed, it's bible based but factual, anyway I persisted and eventually it was concluded that I did indeed have the condition which was able to be treated. If I read something I'm unsure about there is always something out there you can cross check with but otherwise I am pretty fussy about what I read.Edited 17-Mar-25 20:13pm

Do not let the truth get in the way of a good story.

It depends on magazines

I stopped reading magazines years ago.They were badly written, given slants which suited either the writer or editor and were just badly written.

It might depend on the magazine you read. I suspect most of them though are a lot of drivel, especially what I call the 'gossip rags' such as 'Woman's Day' and 'New Idea'. which seem to be largely nonsense about the Royal Family or celebrities.

I think it depends on the magazine, some like Time report on world matters accurately enough to be described as truth whereas Dolly magazines are often inaccurate and overrun with advertisements to the point where they are no longer factual most of the time.

It is only worth wrapping your fish and chips in

maybe some could be and maybe some are not

It depends upon the magazine. I enjoy reading the articles in the Life Extension Magazine. I quit reading Women's Health because there was little in it that I could apply to my life.

Mostly Fiction

I don't have much faith in journalistic integrity anymore.

No interest in magazines

I've seen so much rubbish that's been printed I don't read them anymore.

They are very different to the Aussie way of thinking eg. How on gods earths could they vote in the biggest aragabt narcissist who is actually a convicted criminal. I know we have dishonest narcissists here in Aus, but I am absolutely positive we are smart enough to not vote a criminal in to lead our great country.

I only read a magazine at the hairdressers and always Better homes and Gardens( I wouldn't buy it, too expensive) the other magazines are full of rot and not believable

Magazines are digital now and hard to read

Dont buy or read magazines

If work is a joy it's not work ... but majority... yes it's hard to believe! Practical! Edited 16-Mar-25 13:16pm

Half and half. I buy and read That’s Life magazine for the puzzles. They have a page for. “ spooky stories “. This week issue 8 they have a story from someone who claimed he worked near Rookwood cemetery and the crematorium. He said he worked in a nearby service station and during lunch he would walk around the area. I worked in that area for 30 plus years and there is absolutely no way he worked as claimed. He said he would buy food from a nearby shop. Another furphy. No service station and shop anywhere near this site. So the magazine I presume paid for this pack of rubbish

Mostly lies, don't read the tripe.

All full of made up reality crap so I don't buy them anymore.

I think that you might need a little more information about American society. They have a mostly private pension system called a 401. It's a self directed plan with all the pitfalls that that includes. You don't work you don't contribute, you don't get a pension. Surveys, on the other hand, are only as reliable as those being interviewed. Skewed surveys are pretty common depending on who is conducting them and what is the target audience, and the reputation of the survey company. Don't give up. Just take everything you read with a grain of salt, and perhaps a little healthy skepticism.

6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other Americans like AI,BUT I dont trust them

now we throw AI in, who knows how much BS we are being fed

You need to remember, magazines are for reading, and to make money for the magazine company. Anything that generates controversy, or interest will sell mags (whether its true or not). (Many) ppl, even this day & age are still gullible, and for the most beleive everything that is told to them. So many medias are faked, lie, generally look who OWNS these companies, will give you an idea if there is any speck of truth to their strories. Google, and the like, Utube etc, have all been censored.

My mother used to (or still does) read Take 5 magazine. I used to internally chuckle and shake my head when seeing the super-outrageous headlines on the covers. There's no way most of that is real. If people have no idea what magazine I'm talking about, do an imagine search lol. Also, regarding polls - I remember a few years ago feeling like certain government related surveys were directing me towards desired responses. Not sure if that factors in.Edited 16-Mar-25 11:38am

a mixture of both... that is why I don't buy magazines.

i would class journalists in the same category as politicians; there is always an element of truth to what they do, but generally 99 % of what they do is bull

Both. Just have to be astute and observant when reading, to detect writer’s slant. Usually fairly obvious

Very much doubt they are truthful. The amount of times 'celebrities' are getting divorced or having a baby is so farfetched. And so many magazines get sued because of the untruths in the as well. Don't bother with them or the social media on them either.

I guess there must be some truth to the article before it gets twisted

You would hope they would be truthful

I don't read magazines. They will be obsolete soon enough.

I think messages can be a mixture of fact and fiction.

I liked the magazines with lots of puzzles in them

Is that picture real or AI? At least before we only had to worry about if photos had been edited or filtered .My father was a magazine editor so used to laugh at my naivety believing everything I read in Dolly magazine as a young teen . I guess do your research ..certain items yes are based on facts ,some elaborated on and others are created as page fillers for entertainment purposes. Edited 16-Mar-25 09:41am

I'm not interested in hearing about people's illness, heartache or disasters especially if it dosen't have any effect on me. I know many people that can't wait to read about the gossip involving the rich and famous. I can certainly find better things to do than read that rubbish, and they are so expensive I'd be broke, I know idea how people can afford it.

Used to buy a magazine every week but some articles are not true so stopped getting them many years ago. Don’t buy any now!

Never buy magazines.

I think you have to realize that magazines need to have articles written and people write them with varying ideas or beliefs or sometimes just to make them interesting. I take all articles with a grain of salt. Look at all the different opinions on social media sites, They make it seem like these are the actual facts when they are in actuality opinions.

I had no idea that people still read them.

Well, it topics were put out as surveys and participants weren't honest with their reponses how would the people tallying them up know either way, could only go by what was given. All in all it's a vicious circle and people need to search out the facts for themselves or just do what I used to do is read the serials and short stories to escape from all the other nonsense!

NOTHING in MSM is factual But in this survey you mention could be factual as America is in the pits many are working two jobs just to put food on table. So yes people would like more work to look after family... -

Magazines are the right size to put under Grommie's food bowls. They aren't much use for anything else. More crap than a sewage processing station

Alot of the articles seem to be fictional & the headline usually has nothing to do with the actual story.

hi ty JANN R

I find you go to the author, research who they are and what drives them, then read the magazine article again You can then make up your own mind about true facts and their fiction

Some, mostly Financial, Cars etc. are many are not. What I find interesting is that so many of the so-called Women's Magazines, in Australia such as Women's Weekly, Woman's Day, New Idea, Vogue etc. all of which have Female Editors, Female Journalists all of whom claim to be Feminists who support Women's Rights, Equal Pay for Equal Work, who speak out about Respect for Women, Condemn, as they should, DV, how Women are discriminated against etc. produce these crappy magazines full of nonsense, which promote ways in which Women can be more Sexually Attracttive, have the Ideal Triple T bodies,(Trim, Taught, Triffic Bodies) and then tell them what they should be wearing to make themselves look attractive, what make-up, hair dye to use etc. How do I know this because you only have to go to a newsagent to see whats on the covers, or at the dentist, doctors where the only magazines avasilable to ,look through wholst waiting endlessly to be seen. These magazines I think really put Women down, they treat Women as if they are all morons without an intelligent cell in their bodies. Why? tSo that the publishers can make a bucket load of money It's Time. Time to stop treating Women as if they are all stupid, which, like Men some are but the majority are not.

Still better than social media because you can, most of the time, look up the author.

When I was younger in high school, teacher asked why newspapers exist? What newspapers do? We thought, to give the population the news (how naive). Correct answer is to make money (like all other businesses including charities). To survive, all organisations need money, whether make it via their products/services or get sponsorship/donations. Newspapers, magazines, online publications are all there to capture their best and more audiences by feeding them the narratives the audience want to hear, so the audience buy the media again (or watch/ visit their platforms again), then the newspaper call their advertisers to increase the fee because the viewership increases. There might be some fact’s being fabricated into the narrative to make it more believable, eg, some royal family members having a disgusted look and said they were not interested in the event. But the look could be completely unrelated to the event itself. It is definitely harder and harder to find a platform being professionally trained and less biased in journalism these days. People are constantly being fed with completely false information and believe in them. The fact checkers were a new role (which shouldn’t exist but I was glad the need was recognised). Guess what, they aren’t wanted now. Facts don’t matter, sad ~Edited 16-Mar-25 08:38am

It depends on how gullible the reader is

Mainstream magazine articles are there to sell magazines and have no obligation to be factual. Sponsored content is also an issue. Specialised magazines for certain industries or topics may have more credibility but, like with anything, it depends on the specific publication.Edited 16-Mar-25 08:11am

Depends, some are factual, some are trashy rubbish

NatGeo has factual credibility. Variety and New York Post...not much

Depends on the magazine and the article. Magazines like the English Women's Weekly have a mixture of factual articles, news articles (which may or may not be 100% accurate), and completely fictional novella stories. As for articles that spout 'results' from so-called 'studies' and polls, they should just be ignored. Most of the time those supposed results will be contradicted by another 'study' a few weeks/months later, and then contradicted agin by another 'study' - that's why so many things like particular foods are good for you one week and bad for you the next week. There was a pointless article in yesterday's New Zealand Herald Driven car magazine section with a headline that stated dogs prefer riding in electric cars. Reading the first few paragraphs you find it was based on a 'study' done by Skoda and overseen by some famous(?) veterinary doctor, but reading further you find that was is just *ONE* dog riding *ONCE* in three different Skoda cars (electric, petrol, and diesel) ... even sillier than the usual useless 'studies'.Edited 16-Mar-25 16:43pm

a mixture I suppose

Reading the articles is a pleasant way to spend a little time. Don't believe it all as some are true and some are false. Just enjoy the time.

It comes back to who owns the magazines, Fairfax’s, Murdock’s or the Vanguard’s, on what they want you to believe, and who pays for the advertising in the magazine. Would you pay to advertise your company in a publication that prints articles, degrading the products you sell. Would they print articles stating more time off is better for you, when they want you to work longer hours. We were always told in the 80’s that in USA you only got 2 weeks annual leave a year, no sick days, and were only paid half as much as us with no unions. How did you survive and prosper?

Ever heard the saying " Never let the truth get in the way of a good story "

This reminds me of the statement that chocolate is good for you. What I heard from someone not involved in the study was that a chocolate company (I think Hershey?) got a bunch of people in a room, gave them all a piece of chocolate and after they'd eaten it asked if they were happy. Nearly everyone in the room raised their hand. So, therefore, chocolate is good for you. Not exactly a legit study, is it??? I know headlines are made to grab your attention so I believe a lot of articles are also written to either get you thinking about something you hadn't even had on your mind or maybe to make you angry and write a letter to the editor. I remember a local newspaper had a columnist who always seemed so contrary and angry. I learned later that she always tried to be the Devil's advocate. I also believe a lot of articles are advertisements in disguise, or promises of weight loss that people will buy hoping this will be the cure for them. So many articles, so many reasons for them being written. Stay vigilant and not gullible.

cyrital

Same thing here! Are the stories we tell 'real life' stories, or 'fabricated' from our imaginations? Mine are true, but I'm just saying, I feel you're overthinking the issue. If you enjoy reading, enjoy whatever you choose to read, whatever it may be! I prefer the Bible, a book of Facts, not Fiction! ;-D

I think you are being savvy. There is no way to know what is fact and what is fiction.

I dont think so I dont read magazines anymore either but I am sure what is real or made up

Use your own feelings about these articles

Mainly truth but, there are some people that make up stories for their benefit

It mostly depends on how reliable the source is.

depend on the article you are reading

Fact or fiction. Mostly fiction. Hardly worth reading magazines at all

I don’t read them

Depends on which magazines you read

Most of the time it is the opinion of the author

Can't really believe all that we read, however,, most should be true.

All magazines, like all news outlets, have a journalistic slant and polls are constructed to reflect that slant. In the 1970s the BBC had a very accurate assessment of this in their comedy Yes, Prime Minister, in which Sir Humphrey Applebee explains to Bernard about how polling works by having Bernard answer a series of questions leading up to the identical final question (the one they print in the newspaper) and based on the questions leading up to the final question Bernard is led to give two separate answers to the poll question. If you can find it online, please check it out.

I stopped reading magazines but will say depends on which one's are more truthful

Some magazines are more truthful than others.

Facts facts facts

Savvy. It's been going on for centuries across all media. Probably since the beginning of humans.

I don't pay attention to it. I got better things to do.

One cant believe anything we see or hear or read anymore. Very disappointing.

National Geographic magazines are what I used to read as a teenager. Later on I read Omni magazine. It contained fact, theory, and science fiction.

We used to have dedicated journalists..editors...researchers,,proofreaders..a lot of that has now gone..and many are told what to say...or to be quiet...we are entering a very sad period for truth....(and for Grammar and spelling!!) the new dark ages.... Edited 16-Mar-25 00:59am