Accuracy in the Media

For as long as there has been a field of journalism, there has been struggle with the degree to which journalists must work to assure the facts they report are truths. There are two keys to ethical reporting, both of which journalists must work diligently toward so that their articles reach the greatest level of clarity; truth in fact and lack of bias.

Tools developed in the Information Age have enabled journalists to go to lengths previously unfathomable to assure that the words reported are accurate. Services, such as those provided by Politifact, are being used by politically geared shows that feature politicians. This shows that a new era of accountability and transparency for civil servants is coming. This greatly augments journalists’ efforts to present information that the public is able to consume and understand, pointing to what could be seen as a greater picture of any given subject's public comments. Painting this bigger picture for the audience is required of journalists, as the information presented through media outlets is a prominent source of information on current events for a significant portion of Americans.

David Gregory’s refusal to feature such a tool on his program is a sad example of the denial of such duties. It is a shining example of how journalists are required to adapt to the emergence of new technologies.

Although the present situation requires adaptation from journalists to the economic downturn of the newspaper industry, there are traditions of clarity and lack of bias that must be met, not only so that the information presented in articles is the most accurate, but also so that the reputation of the outlet can be maintained. In short, not all adaptation is beneficial.

The New Jersey Devils' employment of Eric Marin to write sports pieces about the team in Gannett's New Jersey newspapers is an example of adaptation that threatens to damage the reputation of Gannett newspapers. Though it may prove to be cost-effective for the paper, there is a solid line beyond which journalism must not tread. Receiving a pay check from the subjects one is required to write accurate, unbiased stories about is a cut and dry case of conflict of interest.

An adaptation that may prove to either benefit or derail the pursuit of accurate and unbiased coverage is the movement of independent journalists that are backed by private interests in a non-profit company. While this advancement may loosen the grasp of the oligarchic power of the media, it may also drive entrepreneurial interests to attempt to create a story that those same powers are willing to run.

No matter what the innovation, the time-tested traditions that ensure the accurate and unbiased reporting of news outlets must be honored and held in the highest esteem. New technologies and economical structures in the face of adversity must be thoroughly inspected and their effect on those traditions appraised fully, so that journalists may adhere to these two greatest tenets of the industry to the best of their abilities.