Journalists and News

Nov 02, 2011 Editorial

A basic, but fundamental rule in journalism is that journalists are not supposed to become part of a story. They are to report the news and not to make it. On its face, this stricture might seem obvious, but some journalists seem oblivious to its import. When this aberration becomes evident in any media, it is the task of those that direct their affairs to take correct action and to ensure that the offending journalists are reminded of their duty.
When journalists interject themselves into the story, they subvert the newspaper’s most valuable asset: credibility. That credibility is critical because it gives the newspaper societal influence, which in turn influences the decision to buy the newspaper. The newspaper cannot long survive if it loses its credibility. Social responsibility in the democratic system therefore supports, rather than impedes, the fulfillment of a newspaper’s business objectives, through the channels of obtaining public trust and achieving societal influence, which then feeds back into further fulfillment of the public mission, thereby creating a virtuous cycle.
Journalists can become part of the story in several ways. In these final days before the general elections, we can discern some of the intrusions becoming quite pronounced. At the most innocuous level, for instance, a journalist that supports a particular party can give prominence to it by merely placing its coverage of that party at the beginning of the article. It’s a journalistic cliché that many (if not most) readers do not get past the first few paragraphs.
Then there are those journalists that may be in ideological conformity with a particular party. The venerable magazine, TIME, offers a perspective on this weakness: “A fair-minded reader of our news coverage should not be able to discern the private opinions of those who contributed to that coverage, or to infer that we are promoting any agenda. A crucial goal of our news and feature reporting–apart from editorials, columns, criticism, and other content that is expressly opinionated–is to be non-ideological. Our stories may often make a point. But that point should be based on our reporting, not on our predetermined point of view. It may be difficult to fulfill our commitment to fairness. We must recognize our own biases and stand apart from them. We must also examine the ideological environment in which we work, for the biases of our sources, our colleagues, and our communities can distort our objectivity.
Investigative reporting requires special diligence with respect to fairness. Those involved in such stories should bear in mind that they are more credible when they provide a rich, nuanced account of the topic. Our coverage should avoid simplistic portrayals.
Keep in mind that there is always more than one viewpoint. People or groups that are under attack may refuse to discuss their views, but we should make every effort (and document those efforts) to get that side of the story, even if a refusal is a foregone conclusion. If the subject denies an allegation, that denial should appear in the published article. People who will be shown in an adverse light in an article must be given a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves. This means making a good-faith effort to give the subject of allegations or criticism sufficient time and information to respond substantively. Whenever possible, the reporter should meet face-to-face with the subject in a sincere effort to understand his or her best arguments.”
Too often, some journalists have only refused to offer persons shown in “an adverse light” to defend themselves, but have descended into very vicious personal invectives which place the newspaper in an extremely tenuous position when it comes to the exercise of its social responsibility. This will not do. We are engaged in the most important act of democracy: general elections to choose the next leader of our country for five years.
Our people look to the media to give them the facts about programs and policies and people: the facts and nothing but the facts. The politicians will do enough mudslinging: journalists do not need to help them.

Latest News

Journalists and News

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | February, 3rd, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

EBDCA/D&R Construction 40-Over Cricket Competition continues

GFF announces final squad for Concacaf U-17...

Cricket West Indies announces exciting 2025...

BCA, GCB to attend CWI meeting on February 9

Bolstered Harpy Eagles eyeing perfect home record...

Hockey PAHF Junior Challenge schedule released

Features/Columnists

Land, taxes and penalties

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Helping a brother traveling against traffic

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Journalists and News

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | February, 3rd, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]