Fact checking is crucial to good journalism, and though editors offer some support and guidance in ensuring accuracy, reporters are still responsible for guaranteeing the correctness of his or her story. Journalists need to have a very clear understanding of their sources, knowing the credibility and understanding where the information is coming from is important. Reliability of reference sources is also key, a reporter should never assume that a document, official or not, is accurate.
Steven Wagers conveys the importance of fact checking in his blog post as he asserts that,“[h]aving an article properly edited is essential to a story. If the article is filled with false facts, readers might lose trust in that particular news publication, and rightfully so. The publication isn't the only one at a loss either. The journalist also loses credibility, and if they ever need to find a new job, they could run into problems if they build a reputation of presenting false facts.” Journalist must at all times exercise good judgment before using any type of sources as the reputation of the story, reporter, and most of all the publication depends on it.
Fact checking is a necessity, not an option. No journalist or publication can afford to turn out copy with false information and suffer legal ramifications. Reporters need to be skeptical of the source’s intentions and goals, be aware of biases, and be cautious that there are no holes preventing the story from being balanced. When people give quotes, verify the story behind it.
Detecting inaccuracies, however, isn’t quite so easy when there’s very little time to confirm all the information. This is a problem that many bloggers face because bloggers often operate on their own without help from an editor or fact checker. But, despite the legitimate time constraints, readers want and need accuracy in what they read.
Notes
External Links (also in copy)
How to fact check and article: ehow.com
Internal Links (also in copy)
Steven Wager's blog post
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