By Claire Theobald
A good carpenter is one who measures twice before cutting once. So too is a good journalist one who checks and double checks before printing information as fact. Journalists are the frontline of information, and when people read something that is printed in a news paper, hear something reported over the radio, or watch information presented during a news broadcast, people expect that information to be accurate and reliable. In truth is it the journalists job to maintain this high standard of accuracy, and to never misrepresent facts in a way that may skew the angle of the story. That being said, not all mistakes of accuracy are malicious; in some cases, the journalist is the victim as some sources may provide information that is not necessarily true. However, the journalist must uphold not only their own integrity, but the integrity of the publication they work for and must check and recheck all information before it passes into the journalists copy.
The issue, especially when information is not scientific, is that truth is often relative. Far from concrete, the idea of truth is abstract, and one person’s truth may differ greatly form another’s without either party being untruthful. The journalist may overcome this obstacle by ensuring that all sides of the story are weighted equally, and for every allegation made by one, a defense stands for another. Balance is the enemy of bias, because chances are if the journalist strives to achieve a balanced story, the ability for bias to slip through the cracks will be diminished significantly.
Even when the journalist is presented with concrete facts, such as numbers, or results from polls, it is important for the journalist to investigate how these numbers were gathered before inserting them blindly into their copy. When investigating a poll, the number of people involved in the poll is key, as rarely can one make a generalization about the entire population based on the opinions of less than a dozen randomly selected people. As well, one must consider how the fats were gathered. A biased party may represent numbers from a poll that has been altered to favour certain results over others artificially. In order to avoid putting biased numbers into a story, the journalist must look into how the numbers were gathered, and who gathered them, lest they be blamed for the mistake.
Mistakes in accuracy can generally be avoided by simply taking the time to look into the background of the information. In the newsroom, journalists are under tight deadlines, and unfortunately will never be able to find the time to scrutinize every detail in their copy. This being said, the journalist can follow one simple rule when facing such a deadline: When in doubt, leave it out. Simply, if your fact seems too sketchy and you don’t have time to solidify it, then don’t put it into your story because you may be held responsible for providing the misinformation.
NOTE: Photo taken from Caleburr.com, link here
You made a brilliant comparison when you said, “A good carpenter is one who measures twice before cutting once. So too is a good journalist one who checks and double checks before printing information as fact.” This is a critical rule of thumb in journalism, one that is now more frequently dismissed due to time constraints and pressures to be “first” to break/post the news online.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate your attention to the importance of double checking information that is often assumed as being true, such as numbers. I agree with your assertion that, “Even when the journalist is presented with concrete facts, such as numbers, or results from polls, it is important for the journalist to investigate how these numbers were gathered before inserting them blindly into their copy.” I can see how when reporters receive “official documents”, it is easy to assume that they are factual and accurate. But you’re very right that despite the assumed reliability of sources and documents, a good reporter double checks anyway.
Great points! I really enjoy your writing!
I found two errors, however:
1. “In truth is it the journalists job to maintain this high standard of accuracy, and to never misrepresent facts in a way that may skew the angle of the story.”
Did you mean, “In truth, it is the journalist’s job to maintain…”
2. “As well, one must consider how the fats were gathered.”
I think you meant, “As well, one must consider how the facts were gathered.”
Your statement, “When in doubt, leave it out” is great advice! I will absolutely keep that in mind.
Great job on your blog post! I thought you covered many of the important aspects of good journalism, and did so very insightfully.