Nathaniel Hawthorne is quoted as saying: "Accuracy is the twin brother of honesty; inaccuracy, of dishonesty." The truth of that statement is quite evident as the example of people like Stephen Glass come into the light. Although Glass may be an extreme example, by his own admission, only a few fabricated details could be found in some of his earlier publications. It was over time that he began to create entire stories. While misspelling a name is most likely not as bad an issue as inventing an entire story, it is still not a good idea.
As Megan Perras said: "Accuracy is imperative in journalism, because it creates a trust and respect relationship between the writer and the reader." Without that relationship readers will go elsewhere to consume the news. That is why inaccuracy can be just as bad as dishonesty.
Very good point that dishonesty can be just as misleading as inaccuracy.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the story Mike Jenkinson told the JOUR 108 class on Wednesday April 7, 2010 about the reporter in Hay River who got the name of the school wrong and was telling parents to go pick up their children.