By Kevin Benz, News Director, News 8 Austin

After reading this article (A University of Dublin sociology student, in an effort to prove how fast information is transmitted around the globe, posted a fake quote attributed to French composer Maurice Jarrs Wikipedia page and news sources (several actually) picked up the quote and published it as fact after Jarrs' death on March 28, click here for the article) it became clear to me there is still a lot of lazy journalism going on. There was a day, back when the whirr of teletype machines and clicking of phone dials contributed to the din of the newsroom, when journalists had to actually confirm facts before putting them on the record in print or on air. Now a 22 year-old kid can, in minutes, embarrass some of the world’s finest journalism institutions because, well, they’re lazy.

“The Internet” is not a source. Good journalists must insist on sources willing (with some obvious exceptions) to say things on the record. Facts must be attributed and confirmed. At the risk of sounding old-fashioned, that idea used to be a core principal of journalism. When did that change? Well, I have my own opinions about that. Maybe it happened when we started requiring good journalists to double their workload and rewarded them with a cut in pay and fewer colleagues in their newsrooms. Maybe it started when we ran out of time to teach ethics in favor of teaching the new whiz-bang edit software.

Newsrooms around the world are certainly dealing with a new reality, but one old-school reality cannot be allowed to change. Those of us who value our craft, who believe in the importance of our work in protecting democracy, must insist that when we report facts as facts, we are sure they are right. Journalism’s value is measured in credibility and integrity. Every time a 22 year-old joker gets the best of us, we lose a piece of that credibility. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we as an industry don’t have much integrity left to give.

The answers in this case are simple. The Internet in general, and Wikipedia specifically are wonderful tools for gathering information. They are a starting point, not the end of our quest for truth. News managers must ask reporters who sourced their facts, who can we attribute our information to, how do we know we are right? The answer cannot be… “I found it online”.

If your newsroom does not have a policy for attribution, sourcing, and independent confirmation of facts, then you need one. Create a working group made up of representatives from each department in the newsroom, maybe even invite some folks from departments outside the newsroom. Task the group with creating a Best Practices guide which addresses the core principals of your newsroom. We created one many years ago. It lives on our intranet site. No, no one reads it everyday, but it’s there as a reminder that no matter how technology changes, no matter how easy it is to find stuff out, our job is to independently gather information, confirm it, and tell the truth as best as we know it. Our core principals of Independence, Truth-telling, and Minimizing Harm are honored. Those principals are only as good and the last story we published, we need to be right, everytime. 

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Online Sources

GREAT article. Mr. Benz is so accurate regarding some many aspects of the technology changes occuring in our newsrooms. Due to the business concept of "less is more," journalists are taking the fastest route possible attribute information. Also, the new wave of journalist are in fact "lazy." I really enjoyed this article. Can someone also address the issue of story ideas and news coverage, how much of an influence is advertising having on content? Has news become more business centered rather than an unbiased information outlet for the public? I heard one consultant say that news is simply, "entertainment." What!!!! Thanks for all of the great articles. It's good to see some of the REAL journalists are still in managment positions throughout the country.

Sourced stories

You left out one of the major sources of embarassment for our industry. The quoting of sources which are not really sources at all such as political blogs or on air pundits where opinions are stated as facts and an agenda is more important than the truth. If a source won't go on the record its usauly because they have an agenda, or are under at threat. Use sources as a tip, not as confirmation of fact. Don't get just two confirmations. Get two confirmations and one whow will go in the record.

Ethics and Wikipedia

I wrote an article a few years ago
"Ethical Issues in Pedagogy: Wikipedia."

The issue you raise was an issue in my classes until I began having students read my article the first days of the semester.
I am happy to read your view!
Janet Giddings