It is indisputable; accuracy is central to good journalism. However, mistakes are inevitable, especially in today’s new media where content producers compete by the minute to have their reports up first. Journalists are then placed in the difficult and stressful predicament of fearing mistakes yet producing content quickly.
Journalists need to keep their fear of making mistakes in check. Craig Silverman contends that “…fear is good, but also bad; mistakes are bad, but also instructive.” There needs to be a balanced view regarding the stigma that’s attached to making mistakes. Too much fear can produce overwhelming stress and weaken one’s writing; yet on the other hand, not enough of it can result to carelessness.
Copy Editors are indeed every journalist’s rescuer when it comes to preventing errors. From typos, factual inaccuracies to legal concerns, copy editors are dedicated to screening and preventing such errors. However, even they can slip and miss errors. No one’s perfect, we all make mistakes. The coveted New York Times for example, posts corrections online for errors ranging from misidentifications in photo captions to factual inaccuracies in their stories.
Canadian Newspaper Errors:
The Edmonton Journal posted corrections regarding their Feb. 19, 2010 publication for two errors made:
1. In an article, they provided the wrong dollar amount that the Parkland School Division purchased Westerra building for. The correct amount is $3.15 million.
2. In a listing, they published incorrect information regarding when The Voices of Africa concert will be held. They published that it would be held Saturday; it was actually to be held Sunday.
The Edmonton Sun posted a correction for an error made in their May 28, 2009 publication:
In an article, they published that four executives from the CPP Investment Board took home a total pay package of $9.3 million. The actual amount is $8.5 million.
The Globe and Mail posted a correction regarding their Feb. 26, 2010 publication:
In an article, incorrect information was published regarding Keith Sjögren’s position at Investor Economics. He is the research and advisory services Director.
Though it is helpful that errors can be acknowledged and that corrections can be made, the pressure is till on when it comes to producing pristine writing. Developing a ‘thick skin’ and having the audacity and courage to not be fearful of making errors is essential.
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Image Source: http://www.naset.org/uploads/pics/Error_Correction_Image.gif
I think you made a solid comment about the competition between news agencies to get their content online first. I agree with the sentiment that it is the speed of new journalism that causes inaccuracy. If reporters were able to take a minute and go over their work, there might be less mistakes floating around the web.
ReplyDeleteMy only other comment is that the sentence in the first paragraph could say "From typos and factual errors to..." I may be understanding the intention of the sentence wrong, but it seems it might flow better without the comma.
Overall good post, Aden.