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00:04 In today’s media, much of what’s presented as fact 00:08 is often colored by emotion and personal opinion. 00:16 Jehovah’s Witnesses, however, 00:19 remain committed to defending God’s Word, 00:21 the Bible, as the standard for truth. 00:24 As Jesus said at John 17:17: 00:27 “Your word is truth.” 00:30 The wide-ranging subject matter 00:32 contained in the publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses 00:35 is painstakingly researched by their Writing Research Department. 00:39 Their research methods are modeled after that of Bible historians 00:42 such as Luke and Jeremiah 00:45 —reliance on reputable first-hand sources. 00:51 We’re not looking just for someone’s opinions 00:53 or what someone believes about a topic. 00:54 If the material is socially 00:56 or politically biased, for example, 00:59 we can’t rely on it. 01:00 We look for objective material. 01:02 We cover everything 01:04 from historical, scientific, geographical 01:07 to flora, fauna, space. 01:10 So before the script is even written, 01:12 we’ll provide a research package, 01:15 and we’ll follow the project until final delivery 01:18 to make sure that everything that is said 01:20 and everything that is shown 01:22 is solidly based on fact 01:23 and is well-researched. 01:24 There’s a lot more research than what 01:27 the viewer or the reader will ever see. 01:30 You have a one-page article on the otter; 01:32 you end up with like 12 references 01:34 to back up every statement that’s made. 01:37 It seems very simple, 01:38 the height of Mont Blanc. 01:39 And with the height of Mont Blanc, 01:41 we found out, number one, that it was 4,807 meters; 01:45 then we found another source —4,810 meters; 01:48 let’s check a third one —4,808 meters. 01:52 So, what is now real? 01:53 In that case, we had to consult 01:55 the French National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information. 02:00 One of our main research tools 02:02 is our own library system. 02:04 We have about 65,000 books and other research materials. 02:10 If we’re researching something about ancient history 02:13 or archaeology, 02:15 we may consult a specialized encyclopedia, 02:19 like an encyclopedia of archaeological discoveries, for example. 02:23 Museum websites usually have pictures 02:26 of what they have in the museum. 02:27 And we can find these visuals and then send those off to production teams 02:30 as well and say, “This is a good example 02:33 of a first-century lamp.” 02:34 Things that you think are true 02:36 because they are “commonly known” 02:39 may not actually be totally accurate. 02:42 Quotes need to be verified. 02:44 We want to go to the first-hand source, 02:48 the original source, for that quote. 02:50 That’s one thing. 02:51 And secondly, context matters; we want to quote things properly. 02:56 When Gandhi and Lord Irwin came together, 03:00 Gandhi said, ‘When your country and mine come together 03:03 ‘on the teachings of Christ and on the Sermon on the Mount, 03:06 then we will have solved the problems of our countries and the world.’ 03:10 So we researched it. 03:11 No one could confirm that those two men ever met. 03:14 So it’s a great quote. 03:16 Now, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t refer to Jesus 03:18 or even the Sermon on the Mount, but that particular one, we couldn’t use. 03:22 So the research work we’re doing, 03:24 sometimes it takes a lot of time, a lot of effort. 03:28 Sometimes we don’t find what we are expecting to find. 03:33 But it’s very gratifying because we’re helping produce 03:37 accurate information that our readers can rely on. 03:40 Reliable information will help us make good informed decisions. 03:44 Anyone who reads our journals and who sees our videos 03:47 can be confident that this was thoroughly researched. 03:51 These are facts; this is the truth. 03:54 So when you consider the printed publications 03:56 of Jehovah’s Witnesses 03:58 or peruse the jw.org website, 04:01 you can be confident that the material 04:03 is carefully researched and accurate. 04:05 Why? 04:07 Because Jehovah’s Witnesses 04:09 are a people who love and respect 04:12 the truth.
00:04 In today’s media, much of what’s presented as fact 00:08 is often colored by emotion and personal opinion. 00:16 Jehovah’s Witnesses, however, 00:19 remain committed to defending God’s Word, 00:21 the Bible, as the standard for truth. 00:24 As Jesus said at John 17:17: 00:27 “Your word is truth.” 00:30 The wide-ranging subject matter 00:32 contained in the publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses 00:35 is painstakingly researched by their Writing Research Department. 00:39 Their research methods are modeled after that of Bible historians 00:42 such as Luke and Jeremiah 00:45 —reliance on reputable first-hand sources. 00:51 We’re not looking just for someone’s opinions 00:53 or what someone believes about a topic. 00:54 If the material is socially 00:56 or politically biased, for example, 00:59 we can’t rely on it. 01:00 We look for objective material. 01:02 We cover everything 01:04 from historical, scientific, geographical 01:07 to flora, fauna, space. 01:10 So before the script is even written, 01:12 we’ll provide a research package, 01:15 and we’ll follow the project until final delivery 01:18 to make sure that everything that is said 01:20 and everything that is shown 01:22 is solidly based on fact 01:23 and is well-researched. 01:24 There’s a lot more research than what 01:27 the viewer or the reader will ever see. 01:30 You have a one-page article on the otter; 01:32 you end up with like 12 references 01:34 to back up every statement that’s made. 01:37 It seems very simple, 01:38 the height of Mont Blanc. 01:39 And with the height of Mont Blanc, 01:41 we found out, number one, that it was 4,807 meters; 01:45 then we found another source —4,810 meters; 01:48 let’s check a third one —4,808 meters. 01:52 So, what is now real? 01:53 In that case, we had to consult 01:55 the French National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information. 02:00 One of our main research tools 02:02 is our own library system. 02:04 We have about 65,000 books and other research materials. 02:10 If we’re researching something about ancient history 02:13 or archaeology, 02:15 we may consult a specialized encyclopedia, 02:19 like an encyclopedia of archaeological discoveries, for example. 02:23 Museum websites usually have pictures 02:26 of what they have in the museum. 02:27 And we can find these visuals and then send those off to production teams 02:30 as well and say, “This is a good example 02:33 of a first-century lamp.” 02:34 Things that you think are true 02:36 because they are “commonly known” 02:39 may not actually be totally accurate. 02:42 Quotes need to be verified. 02:44 We want to go to the first-hand source, 02:48 the original source, for that quote. 02:50 That’s one thing. 02:51 And secondly, context matters; we want to quote things properly. 02:56 When Gandhi and Lord Irwin came together, 03:00 Gandhi said, ‘When your country and mine come together 03:03 ‘on the teachings of Christ and on the Sermon on the Mount, 03:06 then we will have solved the problems of our countries and the world.’ 03:10 So we researched it. 03:11 No one could confirm that those two men ever met. 03:14 So it’s a great quote. 03:16 Now, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t refer to Jesus 03:18 or even the Sermon on the Mount, but that particular one, we couldn’t use. 03:22 So the research work we’re doing, 03:24 sometimes it takes a lot of time, a lot of effort. 03:28 Sometimes we don’t find what we are expecting to find. 03:33 But it’s very gratifying because we’re helping produce 03:37 accurate information that our readers can rely on. 03:40 Reliable information will help us make good informed decisions. 03:44 Anyone who reads our journals and who sees our videos 03:47 can be confident that this was thoroughly researched. 03:51 These are facts; this is the truth. 03:54 So when you consider the printed publications 03:56 of Jehovah’s Witnesses 03:58 or peruse the jw.org website, 04:01 you can be confident that the material 04:03 is carefully researched and accurate. 04:05 Why? 04:07 Because Jehovah’s Witnesses 04:09 are a people who love and respect 04:12 the truth.
