Reporter – Editor relationship January 29, 2008

After this past week’s case study, I became completely entrigued with the thought of being an editor who allowed a completely false story run in a major newspaper. I feel that in the fast-paced media business where everything, editors are not completely doing their jobs the way they should be doing them. I’m not saying that an editor should question the reporter constantly throughout the story progress, but there needs to be some check and balance system where the editor should be double checking sources as the reporter writes the story. In any job, it is not effective nor conducive towards success if everyone agrees with everyone. There needs to be someone disagreeing and questioning in order to uncover false stories and errors. I think Jimmy’s World, along with stories such as those created by Stephen Glass, are appealing in that they are different from the mundane news events normally in print or television and people truely want them to be an accurate account. However, while news is supposed to provide some sort of entertainment, it is not fiction. The news is what readers need to be informed about in our society. If someone wants to create a jaw-dropping story about drug-addicted or computer-hacking children, he should put his innovative talents towards writing the next bestselling novel.

Reading Abstract – Week 4 January 29, 2008

Reading Abstract – Week 4           

Under the Sources and Subject section of the journalism readings, “Reflecting the Audience” and “Women are Still Missing as Sources for Journalists,” one can’t help but question the media’s objective role. There are currently 374 all-white staffed newspapers in the country, and only 13 percent of newspapers  responding to a report for the Knight Foundation “meet the goal of parity between newsroom and community non-white percentages,” according to www.poynter.org. In addition, although women make up about 52 percent of the population, more than three quarters of all stories contain male sources.  Based on these findings, writers and sources do not accurately reflect the average American citizen. Journalists are told to be objective, non-biased writers who simply inform readers. However, if a story doesn’t contain diverse sources and doesn’t come from a diverse and open reporter, than the story fails to be objective.                                                                                                                                                                                                              The reading “Newsroom diversity attitudes affect content” proves that a positive newsroom climate to diversity issues can positively affect the quality and quantity of an organization’s news coverage of minorities. Since most newspapers aren’t run by diverse newsrooms, minority news coverage is lacking, which results in a majority of one-sided coverage.              

   In a society where people often question the media and its actual motives and responsibilities, minorities have a right to do so. If a black woman read the first page of each of the top five major newspapers in the country, she would not find as many sources and stories that she could relate to, as compared to a white man reading the morning news.  As a result, it is not surprising that readers have formed blogs and other outlets to create their own forums for communication through citizen journalism. Improvements in diversity is a slow progress, but “the key is to have a person who is empowered and signed-on to promote diversity causes and issues in a decision-making role,” fellow researcher Subervi said. In a true decision-making model, objective criteria need to be the source of the decision, and multiple avenues and alternatives must be researched. By having a news staff that is educated on a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to diversity, a newspaper can effectively cover diverse and objective news.  The Newspaper Association of America’s “Cover Story: 20 under 40” illustrates the media’s attempt towards incremental improvements in diversity. The people chosen represent the “enthusiasm, talent, hard work and innovation that’s needed to carry the newspaper industry into the future.” While only four are non-white, the top finalists consist of 10 women and 10 men, showing a step forward in diversity that women are being recognized for their creativity and passion. The finalists are opinionated and recognize that there are other stories to tell in the local market, further appealing to diverse audiences. In order for newspapers to last in to the future there needs to be a loyal readership. If readers can not relate to the editors and content, then the newspaper fails. By finding innovative and diverse ways to cover news, news can be more objective and can be appreciated by an increasingly broad audience.

Case Study: Jimmy’s World

When first reading Jimmy’s World, a copy editor should first ask himself if the story is actually possible. While anyone would want to believe that a story of such magnitude were true because it does make valuable news, it is highly doubtful that an 8-year-old boy would talk in the manner that Jimmy does. One would also have to ask what kind of mother would allow her young child to be addicted to heroin. Also, since drugs are illegal, it is also questionable how a drug dealer allowed a reporter to come into his home, conduct an interview and take detailed notes on his home and the people who come and go.  Another thing that comes to mind is to question what kind of drug dealer would waste costly drugs by personally injecting a child, who probably is not mature enough to understand the legal and medical consequences. There are also language inconsistencies, and the story seems a little exaggerated in some places in order to be completely true. The street life she depicted seems too stereotypical at times as well.Jimmy’s World relates to last week’s readings in that this could have been prevented if reporters and editors worked as adversaries in the newsroom. This is an example of an editor having too much faith in the reporter. If the editor asked for the source information before the story was published, the problem could also have been prevented. While there are exceptions to confidential sources, a drug-addicted 8-year-old and his drug dealing family would probably not be one of them.

Covering Suicides January 22, 2008

After talking about the article in the Alligator about the UF student who committed suicide, it really made me realize that the story should not have been published, at least in the manner that it was. The story originally ran as a completely objective and nameless story, simply providing the details of the student’s death. There were no quotes from close relatives or friends, and there was simply a shock value as a result. If the newspaper perhaps waited for relatives to allow what had happened to settle in and if a personal history and pictures were provided to the newspaper for an emotional feature story, then perhaps the story would have been newsworthy. Also, if the suicide happened in the dorms or if the student was a prominent individual on campus, then the story would have deserved more attention. The issue of right to privacy also comes in to play because someone obviously can not waive his right posthumously.

Reading Abstract and Case Study – Week 3 January 22, 2008

This past week’s readings dealt with credibility, the relationship between editor and reporter and the questionability of blogs in a constantly changing world of communication.

            “Skeptical Editing,” by Reid MaCluggage forces one working in the field of media question the sources of flawed journalism. When the media do make factual errors and flaws in reporting, they are often blamed for not being ‘skeptical enough,’ but a reporter’s story is the result of what an honest reporter believes to be true. However, in the world of fast-paced technology, when a story is made public, it sometimes becomes too late to correct an error. The problem with practicing editorial virtue, such as incredulity, as Sissela Bok suggests, is that there is a journalistic paradox in her ethical decision making model. When one is forced to consider alternatives, her ethical model is based on the premise that maintaining social trust is a fundamental goal. However, according to Bok, any decision should be a result of seeking expert advice for alternatives and conducting discussion with those involved in the decision. Bok’s model, therefore, addresses the complex relationship of editor and reporter, as well as the reader. The editor is supposed to have social trust for the editor, and the reader trusts the newspaper to public factual information. At the same time, looking for hypothetical alternatives and public discussion is necessary for factual reporting. The only way to fix the paradox and provide a remedy for flawed journalism is to revamp the relationship between reporter and editor and the story. Like in law and in science, journalism should be a field where everyone questions one another in order to achieve accurate or fair results. The news story is the witness, and it is the editor’s and reporter’s job to cross-examine the witness in order to uncover holes in the story.

            One way that readers are trying to reformulate their own relationships with news sources is through forming a new world of citizen journalism through blogging. Online journalism can challenge and uncover flaws of traditional newspapers, while sometimes even creating sources of political and social change. One grassroots news Web site, iBattleboro, was founded at least in part, because they felt that mainstream media were not telling the whole story on important issues, Tom Grubisich said. The blog also portrays one way mainstream journalists can see a reason to self-examine their own professions. While blogs can aide to the adversarial relationships in media and create new sources of information, they are sometimes inaccurate and biased. Grubisich’s article uses the metaphor of a “Potemkin Village,” which is now defined as something that appears elaborate and impressive but in actuality lacks substance. It is also used to describe a flawed interpretation (www.wikipedia.org). Thus, one must utilize blogs wisely and skeptically. Mainstream journalists can benefit from blogs in that citizens help expose fallacies through feedback, while citizens can also benefit by voicing their own opinions through taking a role as additional reporter.

            With the consolidation of the newspaper industry and rise of the Internet, there are less joint operating agreements. However, like opposing editors and reporters working for the same newspaper, competing newspapers working under the same joint operating agreement could form a system of check and balance in the world of factual news publishing. Because the Internet is a place where everyone is a skeptic, perhaps blogs can offer a new path towards skeptical editing and reporting in order to uncover inaccuracies and alternatives to mainstream journalism.

 

 

Case Study: Eagle Snatches Dog While Owner Watches

 

            This past week’s case study clearly demonstrates the importance of skeptical editing and reporting, as explained in the readings. The story is unusual and entertaining, but there is often a fine line between certain news values and actual newsworthiness.

            As a reporter or editor, one can not take a tip of information as true right from the beginning. In this story, the only attributed source is a gas station attendant. Therefore, the story’s information is only based on hearsay. In a story of such unique magnitude, it is important to get quotes and information from the parties directly involved in order to show to the readers that the newspaper is credible and practices comprehensive reporting.

            While the story is unusual, in that one wouldn’t think of an eagle to come down and take a person’s beloved pet, one can’t help but assume that eagles often feed on small rodents that resemble Chihuahua’s in the wild. If a reporter or editor thought about this before publication and researched whether or not similar incidents have occurred in the past in nearby areas, then someone might have uncovered the myth behind the story.

            Another issue that comes to mind when reading the story is the emotional and ethical aspect of the story. If the story were to be true, one can’t help but to feel bad for the poor woman who cried for her small dog. This kind of story is not front page news, but slants towards more of a feature-like story. To create a poignant and complete story, one would have to interview the woman and go into more detail, rather than objectifying an animal that she probably viewed as her child, as most pet owners do.

Places to find story ideas January 18, 2008

When reading the fifty tips for finding story ideas, I had a reminiscent feeling of the days of being a student in reporting. Because of my experience as a journalism student, I have been unconsciously trained to notice things around me that have potential to be newsworthy.

Here are a few ideas that I thought could be added to the list:

1) Research laws that are currently in state legislation and uncover the stories behind them. Interview state officials, city officials and individuals who the laws would affect

2) Medication commercials – Research new medications that are new to the market and what they are used for. Also, there are constantly medication commercials that inform about recent revealed side effects from medication taken in the past. One could interview pharmacists, patients who have taken the medication and now suffer from the negative effects.

Reading Abstract – Week 2 January 18, 2008

     

The reading, “Where Do Stories Come from?” goes beyond the basic, routine ways of coming up with story ideas as a reporter. Apart from such tips as going for a walk, eavesdropping at the grocery store or the barber shop, many on the list of 50 demonstrate the benefits of changing technology and communication. For example school web sites, blogs, and search engines such as google.com can provide and reporter with an array of ideas and possibilities for story ideas that wouldn’t otherwise be available without the advent of the Internet and computers. 

            In addition, other information and communication tools such as newspapers, newsletters and bulletins can also provide a reporter with story ideas. News is a recyclable process that creates information in a never-ending process. Obituaries, school newspapers, classified ads, and community newspaper events are all tools of communication that supply information while also creating new ideas for upcoming stories.

            In “Revamping the Story Flow for Journalists,” Mark Glaser also demonstrates how technology and online communication can revamp the way information is created and disseminated to readers and participants. Without such tools as blogs, email, and  Internet, reporting stories was a dry and limited process. An assignment editor or reporter came up with an idea that usually came from a letter, a call from the newsroom, or from everyday life experiences. In contrast, story ideas today can come from someone emailing the newsroom, a press release, blog posts, online forums, or the reporter’s own personal blogging experience. Because of online tools, Glaser also predicts the future of generating story ideas by pointing out that it will be a more collaborative process by getting readers more directly involved. Eventually, ideas will come from a social network set up specifically for a reporter’s beat, and reporters might also poll interested readers. The reporter’s social network will help decide whether the story idea needs more research, and readers will be able to provide feedback on the idea.

            The research process of reporting a story also used to be a more restricting and time-consuming process that it is now or will be in time to come. Now, a reporter has the pleasure of searching online for information about the story and for other written works about the story through search engines and specialized blogs. In addition, email provides instant feedback in a fast-paced society where someone may not have the time to take out of their schedules to sit and talk on the telephone.

            As far as producing the actual story, online communication allows for different types of media such as sound files, external links, videos, and unedited transcripts that make the story more appealing and versatile for its readers. Online newspapers also allow for greater accuracy and a larger world for citizen journalism. Unlike in the past, readers can post comments, feedback, and corrections by leaving feedback beneath the story online and can also create their own blogs based on the story, further adding to the boundless realm of communication.

Advanced Editing January 12, 2008

When I first heard we had to create a personal blog and update it throughout the course of the semester, I have to admit I was a little nervous at first. I had never blogged nor have ever thought about starting my own blog. Now, however, I am eager to learn something new in a society where technology and information are becoming more important.