In My Humble Opinion

When is an opinion not an opinion? That’s a key question anyone should ask themselves before publishing a blog or opinion piece online.

Let’s say you’re writing an opinion piece about the proposed redrawing of a congressional district. You want to write that the new district is gerrymandered to favor one particular political party and you think that’s unfair. You arrived at this decision because the official in charge is a Republican, and you just know he’s going to write the new district line to favor his party although you haven’t actually checked to see if it will. Is this an appropriate opinion?

No, it’s not. Although it’s an opinion piece you still need to check your facts. Will the new district lines drastcially change the party make-up of the district? Just because the person in charge has a history of gerrymandering, that doesn’t mean you can print that he will in this instance based on that history. Look at the proposed district, check the numbers, and then form your opinion.

Your op-ed piece can then take shape based on those facts. If you can prove that gerrymandering is taking place, then you can print that you think it’s wrong and unfair. Your humble opinion only matters if it’s based on what is, and not the way you think it is.

Just Because Someone Said it…

…doesn’t make it true. This is one of the most important tenants of journalism that is so often forgotten. When dealing with big stories we never forget to get at least two sources, three or four if we have time. We know that if we get the story wrong there will be many scrutinizing eyes dissecting every detail. But, what if it’s just a little piece that won’t garner that much attention?

Okay, you’re out covering a story on a neighborhood nuisance like a peeping tom. You interview one of the residents and they tell you about Mr. Smith, who was arrested last year for something like that. You think, “great, I’ve got my story.” Just to be sure, you ask a few more neighbors and they say they heard about that. Great, you have a few sources. It’s a small story, and you want to get home early. You write it up and publish it.

The problem is people’s recollection is often wrong. Sure, they may swear on a Bible that it’s true, but when you check the police records that person was never arrested for anything. You got the facts wrong. Even small stories demand the same attention to detail that larger stories do.

This is never more true than when printing on the Internet. The Web is based around people giving just such “first hand” accounts. It’s been going on for years, and we can easily recognize it.  Who hasn’t read an internet posting that swears it’s true because that person’s brother was present at the event? And how often does that “insider information” turn out to be way off?

Check your facts. Quote reliable sources only. Tell the truth, not one person’s version of it.

BuzzGrub – The Line Keeps Moving

If you’re really interested in seeing ethics in journalism illustrated and explored, look no further than James L. Brooks’s fantastic 1987 film, “Broadcast News.” Although ostensibly the story revolves around a romantic triangle, the dramatic tension and conflict that drives it is the movement away from substance news to the more profit bearing flash. It’s very prolific as it was released at the dawn of cable news and the 24 hour news cycle, and predicted much of what has come to pass.

Peppered throughout the movie are little ethical dilemmas posed to the troupe of network news reporters who make up the cast of characters. One in particular has relevance today. The Albert Brooks character, standing around the water cooler with his colleagues poses a question about an execution in Florida that allows cameras, would it be appropriate to show footage as they flip the switch? Without missing a beat, the gathered journalists reply absolutely, without a doubt.

This was just a fictional scenario until security camera footage from a failed robbery attempt in Florida surfaced and was made available to local news organizations. Tired of being robbed, the pharmacy employed a retired police officer to protect the store. When the robber entered the store and pulled his gun, the police officer fatally shot him. It was all caught on tape, and at least one local market news station, WFTV, aired the fatal shot – during their afternoon broadcast.

Other agencies in the area showed the tape right up until, but not the moment, the fatal shot was fired. But for thousands of viewers in the area who tuned into WFTV, they watched what amounted to a snuff film.

This was a clear step over the line, but as William Hurt’s character muses towards the end of the film, “it’s hard not to cross it when they keep moving the little sucker.” That’s pretty much the argument that this station’s news director would make. Or, that since the news business has become so profit obsessed, that the line is no longer being drawn by journalists, but rather by accountants and parent companies.

As journalists, it’s important to be willing to draw that line and not move it. Our responsibility to the public far outweighs that to the money men sitting in the corner office. If more people on the news floor had listened to their hearts, and argued whomever it was who made that flawed decision to air the tape in its entirety, then there wouldn’t now be thousands of people with the image of a man being killed seared into their memory.

Serving the Public Good – BuzzGrub

Much has been made of the loosening of journalistic standards from the blogosphere – but blogs are more op-ed columns than they are news reports. They are reactions to news, not a factual account of events. Even if what they are reacting to is false, they still serve a purpose of communicating an idea or philosophy.

As journalists, it’s our duty to report the truth. When writing the story we can’t worry what the outcome of that truth is, only that it is reported accurately. However, when publishing a newspaper, editorial choices must be made with regard to space. So, what stays and what goes? The public has a right to know, but the decision has to be made with regard to what they need to know that day.

That’s one of the prime advantages to online newspapers – they aren’t restricted by space issues. They can report the entirety of the story – all of the stories. For all of the fear about the death of the traditional newspaper, what we’re really seeing is the rebirth of the paper as watchdog. No longer are there limits on what is reported. So long as there are  organizations that strive to retain a core set of values with regard to how they report the story, then we are really standing at the dawn of a new age, not the end of one.

BuzzGrub – Journalism 2.0

We live in the age of the 24 hour news cycle. Eons ago – at least it feels that long – newspapers and the evening news were the sole disseminaters of information to the public. Within that model were two editions of a newspaper, and one edition on TV. We had to wait for those specific times to get our news, which also gave those outlets several hours to check and double-check facts. This was a time when Edward R. Murrow was the most trusted man in America.

That trust has eroded. Journalists no longer hold such high regard amongst the public. Bias and opinion has seeped into the pages of our newspapers and onto our airwaves. Rumors are reported as though they are truth. Facts are sometimes checked, but also sometimes not double-checked.

This roots right back to the 24 hour news cycle. News must be instant now. There’s an insatiable appetite for news fueled by cable news networks and the internet. In the interest of informing the public instantly, the process that used to be afforded several hours to complete properly has been reduced to a mere few minutes. The temptation is not to be “right,” so much as it is to be “right now.”

When posting news stories on the internet, we can’t forget to complete the entire process of vetting sources and facts. The process needs to be done quickly, but that doesn’t mean that corners can be cut. The public’s need for information does not supersede our duty to give them the most accurate news. A scoop is only so if it’s accurate.