Reading Abstract – Week 8 February 26, 2008

When editing a story prior to publication, even the smallest details, such as punctuation and word choice, can change a meaning. In “The Comma that Cost 1 Million Dollars,” Ian Austen describes how a phone company got out of a contract because of a cable provider’s careless use of punctuation. Commas are often small marks that are used for clarification and listing, but in this case, one comma completely changed the meaning of the main clause of the contract. This example shows how important it is for editors to have a watchful eye for grammatical slip-ups, especially when libel and defamation are issues when writing the news. Also, a misplaced comma can change a fact of a story, which would deter readers from the truth.

In “Who you callin’ ungrammatical,” Jan Freeman debates the use of “whom” in formal writing and print. She mentions the opinion of one linguist, who thinks that beginning a question with “whom” in contemporary, standard English would be unusual and bizarre. However, as traditional newspapers and the AP Style Guide tell journalists, “who” is always a subject, never an object. Freeman goes on to explain the ideas of using “whom” in a headline. Some suggest that it sounds too formal to grasp a reader’s attention and would use “who” instead. However, there are others who would use the proper English or simply change the headline to avoid the debate. While formal words, such as “whom” are not often spoken, it is important to keep the English language the way it was intended. If editors and newspapers were told that the difference between “who” and “whom” didn’t matter, then one can’t help but wonder what would come next. While using “who” instead of “whom” doesn’t confuse the reader, allowing it would make room for other exceptions that may not be as synonymous in meaning. Disagreement is beneficial in a newsroom, and editors and reporters need to debate such issues as the use of “whom” because there is a reason why the word exists in the English language. There needs to be editing standards so that errors and confusions don’t appear in news stories.

It is important for copy editors to notice the smallest of grammatical and organizational errors that others among the news staff may not. As Ann Auman describes in her article, copy editors are the “glue in the whole process of writing, editing and presentation.” They add quality and value to the final project. However, in today’s fast-paced news room, copy editors have been given more and more responsibilities with the advent of technology and online projects. Copy editors must look at a story as if it is the first one they will read at any given moment. Fresh, attentive eyes must catch any margin of error so that one hyphen, one article or one pronoun won’t hurt credibility or reputation.

 

Case Study – Grandfather charged in blaze that killed 3

            The headline of this story demonstrates how careful editors need to be before publishing a story. One needs to think carefully if there are any issues that may arise because of publishing one word over another. In this case, for an editor who doesn’t consider a fetus a human life, there would be no problem with the headline. However, for a reader who is a staunch conservative, pro-life activist, then problems will surface. It is best to choose headlines and words that remain neutral. For this story, a better headline would have been something like, “Grandfather sets blaze, charged with 4 murders.” This headline coincides with the facts of the story while avoiding the subjective opinions of how many people actually died.

 

Week 7 February 20, 2008

Reading Abstract – Week 7             When reporting a story, the duty of providing objective and accurate information is often difficult to fulfill because of the issues of sensitivity and ethics that come along with certain stories. Many times, it is the way a story is covered and not what is covered that makes a published story ethically sound.             It has been shown in numerous studies that suicides increase when media reports of suicide increase, and the same happens when a particular suicide is treated prominently, according to Kathleen Hall Jamieson’s article, “Can suicide coverage lead to copycats?” The media often romanticize  suicides and create  a story out of something that vulnerable individuals may not comprehend to the fullest. It is important to understand why a person committed suicide, not how he or she went about doing it. Since the media have such an important role of informing the public, discussion about psychiatric disorders is important to understand that such acts are not inexplicable acts of “otherwise happy and normal individuals.”            The problem is that news outlets are often more interested in increasing readership and neglect to realize the ramifications of covering suicides in what has been the common way. Hall cites the example of a “The New York Times” study, which shows that 60 percent of the suicides covered in 1990, 1995 and 1999 mentioned the word “suicide” in the headline, and only 7.9 percent of the articles cited depression as a factor of the reported suicide. When dealing with a subject as sensitive as suicide, reporters and editors need to stray away from their objective point of views, and for once, stray away from being robotic journalists and become human beings. The way a story is reported can change the effect of a story, and the media can play an influential role in educating the public about suicide prevention. In Hall’s other article, “Choosing language carefully,” certain ways to report on suicides are suggested in order to prevent or mitigate negative effects, such as copycats. Hall shows how something as simple as a word can affect the reader. Avoiding the reference to suicide in the headline, unless the suicide took place in public, can decrease the likelihood of contagion. Also, contrasting “suicide deaths” with “nonfatal attempts” is preferable to using terms such as “successful” and “failed.”

The first thing that comes to mind as an example of suicide coverage is the repeated exposure that the Virginia Tech shootings received in the media and the recent shootings at NIU. In a case study last semester for my ethics of journalism class, I analyzed the ethical implications of NBC’s coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings. On one side was the journalistic value of disseminating the truth and why the tragedy occurred, but on the other hand, there was also the necessary concern for sympathy and human emotion when covering public trauma. “Showing the video was more a question of putting the story in to context and telling a story of a very disturbed individual,” said Neal Bennett, news director of NBC 29 in Virginia, in an interview with me. However, after the 24-hour news cycle, NBC removed what was aired from Cho’s manifesto from broadcasting, as the information became more harmful than informative, he said. One can not help but wonder if the media manifesto influenced the NIU shootings. Nevertheless, Bennett also said, “Seeking thruths – plural, not single – is the most important thing in journalism. Very few things are black and white.”

The coverage of the Virginia Tech Massacre also demonstrates the difficulties in deciding what to publish, in terms of visual information. Pictures and videos have a certain effect that can not be conveyed with words alone. However, in only airing small parts of the manifesto, providing cautionary disclaimers, and also providing the bulk of the pictures and video on the Internet were ways that NBC attempted to balance sensitivity issues. In “You Be the Editor,” Senior Scholar Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute encourages debate about the macabre images from Fallujah, Iraq, which showed the charred and dismembered remains of American civilians hanging from a bridge and Iraqis cheering in the foreground. As with suicide coverage, the way photographs are published can have a considerable effect on readers. Editors need to put an extreme amount of thought before publishing such graphic photographs, such as looking to see if a specific face is recognizable; where the photograph will be run; and if there are any alternatives. However, it is a newspaper’s responsibility to show the truth and report the facts, especially during wartime. With such emotional power, photographs can produce morality and consciences, and they have the ability to influence social and cultural change. 

Week 6 February 12, 2008

Reading Abstract

             In “Calling for back-up,” Richard Chacon questions the purpose and accuracy of the opinion columns in newspapers. He asserts that op-ed pieces should have the same standards for sourcing and attribution that are applied to regular stories in the news sections. He cites specific cases of op-ed pieces where editors did not check the facts, sources and/or the math. While op-ed pieces are personal opinions of the author, that doesn’t necessarily mean that anything can be published without someone checking every single name, number and attribution. One free-lance writer suggests that newspapers should make writers include source information in brackets when submitting a column. In turn, the editor will know where the information comes from and whether or not it is accurate. The lack of accuracy in certain op-ed pieces is thus a demonstration of the lack of tight standards of editing when putting out a newspaper for deadline. Since the opinion pieces are not always directly written by newspaper staff, it is as if they are exempt from standard editing procedures, simply because they are opinions. However, what most editors are not realizing is that since op-ed pieces shape the minds and views of the reader, the facts that these opinions are based on should be just as, if not even more, prone to scrutiny.

            “The Discerning Eye: Truth in Storytelling” by Peter Osnos also deals with flaws in accuracy and truth in stories. He uses the example of James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces and the invented stories by Janet Cooke and Jayson Blair, which were both eventually published. He compares and contrasts book publishing and news editing, and states that “it is undeniably true that soaring success if often accompanied by arrogance which makes the institution especially vulnerable to a failure of standards or insight.” When an editor receives a story that is so unbelievable, it might just be. Stories like “Jimmy’s World” sometimes blur the line between success and skepticism and protection of credibility. Osnos also makes the assertion that books, unlike parts of the media, are based on sales have no advertising and no subscription. However, in today’s fast-paced commercialized and capitalistic newspaper industry, every little fact and name must be checked before news is disseminated around the world. Therefore, the media are under a more discerning eye than books are, because the reputation of a whole industry is tarnished. When an author of a book fabricates his story, one person’s reputation is hurt, but the work can become a successfully selling work of fiction. Newspapers are never fiction, and when an editor is skeptical about the credibility of a story, he or she should always protect the standards of accuracy when making writers prove their facts and stories.

            During the most recent New Editors’ Survival Guide seminar at API, Rosalie Stemer led a group of new editors in a discussion of skeptical editing. They came up with a list of questions every editor should ask when editing a story before publication. Some examples include double-checking addresses, names, math, spelling and attribution. Also, an editor should check the information on LexisNexis and to ask whether there is any reason to doubt the information. If Stemer’s list were posted in every newsroom, careless errors and fabrication might be prevented. An editor must understand that there is never a reason to be completely sure that a story is accurate and credible. Editors must question writers, sources, research tools, and most importantly, themselves.

Investigative Journalism in Natalee Holloway Case – ethical??? February 5, 2008

When I first saw the new update on the Holloway case regarding the investigative journalism by Holland’s reporter Patrick van der Eem, I couldn’t help but question the ethics behind the information gathering. Sure enough, as I found out on ABC news,  a key question in the case is whether the videotape will be admissible for evidence. There then comes the conflict between private and public information. The undercover reporter videotaped Van Der Sloot under private conditions, after he gained his trust, despite what the suspect actually admitted to on videotape. Also, the undercover reporter gained his trust through marijuana, something illegal – revealing another problem. The fact that a reporter had to resort to illegal means to gain the trust of the suspect is questionable, and despite the benefit of acquiring the information, it is still deception. The SPJ code of ethics states that reporters should “diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing; (…) balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with the public’s right to be informed; and (…) remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.” Even though the Holloway is an important, unsolved case in the media, there needs to be a balance between media’s role as news source and as watchdog. Having a reporter deal drugs hurts the credibility of the media and raises the question as to how far the media will go in order to collect information. Even though Van Der Sloot has been in the public eye, he deserves a right to a fair trial. The video is now part of pre-trial publicity that will infringe on his rights. Deception falls in to the gray area of what is ethically justified and what is not.

Reading Abstract – Week 5 February 5, 2008

“Journalists + math = anxiety, self-doubt” and “The Quest for Accurate Numbers”

             The readings from this past week stress the importance of accuracy and credibility when dealing with numbers in news stories. As shown, one of the problems in journalism is that many journalists are not confident when it comes to doing basic math. In addition, journalism and math are often considered two completely different fields. However, reporters will often have to write stories dealing with business, elections, surveys, crime, sports and the economy – all dealing with numbers.

            Scott R. Maier explains that despite journalists’ ability to excel in math, “math anxiety” persists. He offers a way to instill confidence to use skills that they already have. He suggests that newsrooms should award those who use numbers well and that quantitative skills should be awarded with high salaries. What is interesting to note is that he mentions how mathematics should be a basic part of journalism curriculum, along with knowledge and mastery of AP style. Unfortunately, as can be seen among any average journalism student, many undergraduates are uncomfortable doing math in news stories and see their abilities to write news stories as something completely different from their math skills. Ironically, journalism and math are much intertwined. Journalists are taught to write with objectivity and precision, which are two basic characteristics of math. If journalists were taught from the beginning that math is a fundamental part of writing stories, then perhaps newspapers could prevent careless inconsistencies and errors in math-related stories.

            Another problem that Malcom Gibson addresses is that there is a lack of interest in understanding numbers. Perhaps if potential journalists were taught that numbers and words had a complementary relationship in their writing, then they might acquire in interest in arithmetic if they understood the importance. The interest could possibly be the catalyst for the confidence needed to spot errors in news writing. Editing numbers should be as natural as editing the spelling and facts of a story for copy editors, but because they aren’t taught how important and relevant numbers are from the beginning, a lot of incorrect calculations make it in to published stories.

            Even at UF, where the journalism school is one of the top in the country, over half of an advanced editing class could not figure out how to calculate a decrease in percentage. If a calculator were required as a resource, along with an AP style guide and a dictionary, perhaps the accuracy of numbers would be thought of being as important as the accuracy of people’s names and ages.

            The math dilemma also is associated with the relationships between the reporter, editor, source and story. The copy editor has to question every fact that the reporter includes in the story. Also, the reporter has to question every mathematical fact that he or she receives from the source. If journalists were taught to be aware of the numbers during the story-writing process, then a lot of errors could be prevented.

 

Case Study – Violent crime increases in Gainesville

            The story reveals the problems relating to mathematical awareness and knowledge in the newsroom. As the readings prove, if there were rules regarding percentages and other mathematical rules posted in a newsroom, along with other AP style rules then maybe journalists would realize the importance that numbers have in the world of media.

            If any copy editor were aware of the mathematical importance of the story, then he or she would realize to check the numbers in the story to those in the table, and the inconsistencies could have been prevented. Another problem with the story is that there are too many numbers for the reader to keep track of the story. It is not necessary to include the amount of mathematical facts in the story in addition to providing the table. I doubt any copy editor would enjoy being the reader who would be reading this story. It is as if the editor viewed the mathematical skills necessary for editing the story as out of his or her ability. As Scott R. Maier suggests, “the problem is that many think they can’t do math.” The case study is visible proof of the lack of emphasis that math has in the newsroom.