Verification

In Comms 239 we discussed the importance of verification in journalism.

Some journalists write down truths, yet do not present the whole truth, such as using sources that only give one side of the argument clearly presenting a bias. Sometimes the media can be one sided because that is where the news is. One example of this is our perception of the Muslims. Many think of Muslims as terrorists who are committed to destroying America and its influence. But, in fact, terrorists are only rare extremist groups; the majority of Muslims are peace-loving people. The media presents Muslims in a negative light because the extreme groups make the news and affect us more than the everyday Muslims. Should journalists verify the other side in issues such as this? Here is a video showing the extensive numbers of Muslims who are strongly against terrorism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NYzs8IjxhY

A point of verification that I believe is an excellent principle is transparency. This means being completely open to your audience and show them how and where you got your sources. Our goal is to get the information out to the citizens, and then have them make their own decision. If journalists become as see through as possible, they will gain the people’s trust. Here is an online article about statistics on people’s trust in the media compared to other places. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/little-trust-in-government-or-media-either/

The internet poses threats to the verification process for journalists. Some may think it is better to be quick then to be “fully” correct. Either on the internet or in print, it is important for journalists to follow accuracy checklists to verify their work. As citizen journalists we should also promote truth and accuracy in everything we write. Here is a website that allows you to build your own accuracy checklist. http://businessjournalism.org/2010/10/29/how-to-build-a-personalized-accuracy-checklist/