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.

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.