The news media are a vital part of American society, and I’m proud to have been a professional journalist at both the community and national-international levels.
I started at the Sidney Telegraph in western Nebraska and then spent 27 years with United Press
International in Omaha, Lincoln, Milwaukee, Miami and Washington, D.C.
While in Washington for 13 years, my positions included managing editor and executive editor. I now teach journalism and political science full time as an assistant professor at Concordia, and I still write.
I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a master’s degree in political science from UNL, and I hope to complete my Ph.D. in political science within the next two years. I grew up in Seward, and I love being back here.
There has been a lot of talk about fake news recently. I know firsthand the ways many professional news organizations work hard to ensure the credibility of their reporting. Fake news can and does occur, including sometimes in stories distributed through social media or through websites designed not to honestly inform people but to dishonestly manipulate opinion through false information.
It’s important to be able to discern for yourself whether a particular report really is fake or whether the term “fake news” is being used in an attempt to discredit the press as it does its job.
In its May 16 edition, the Independent presented valuable guidelines for spotting fake news, which as the Independent pointed out is a genuine problem. As you look/watch/listen to news, here are some questions that can help you figure out whether a news story is credible:
• Does the story present the basic facts on all sides of the issue and tell you where those facts came from? Can the facts be verified independently?
• Does the story get you fired up? If so, does it appeal to emotion without presenting facts or by presenting only facts that support one side of the issue? How do those facts stack up when you compare the report with what other news organizations are publishing?
• Does the writer use adjectives that convey the writer’s opinion? Opinion columns include a writer’s opinion, but news stories should not include the opinion of the author.
• What people or groups have a stake in the issue? Is the writer/news source independent of the people or groups involved in the story? If there is an association, is it disclosed?
• If a story is based on leaked information, particularly if the source is anonymous, are the motivations of the leaker adequately disclosed in the story, and can the information be otherwise verified? How has the news organization established the credibility of the information?
• If the story is about a controversy, are all sides of the controversy clearly explained and linked back to where those sides stand on the basic facts?
It’s also important to ask yourself where you stand on the issue. Do you have enough information, or do you need more before deciding your opinion? What actions if any do you support as a result of your opinion?
The job of journalists is to honestly report what’s interesting and important so that all of us know what is going on in our communities, our state, the nation and world so that we can plan and function in our daily lives.
The heart of journalism is basic reporting: who, what, when, where, why and how.
Most news organizations and journalists operate under codes of ethics. Probably the most well-known is the code of the Society of Professional Journalists (www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp). There also is a code of ethics for the Radio-Television-Digital News Association (www.rtdna.org/content/rtdna_code_of_ethics).
The SPJ code says ethical journalism “is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy.” It says, “Ethical journalism strives to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. An ethical journalist acts with integrity.”
The code has four main principles: 1) Seek truth and report it; 2) Minimize harm, treat people with respect; 3) Act independently to serve the public, avoiding conflicts of interest; and 4) Be accountable and transparent, show where facts came from, and promptly acknowledge and correct errors when they occur.
SPJ urges caution in the use of sources whose identities are not mentioned in stories, but sometimes that is the only way to obtain and publish information that is important to the public.
Most news organizations have strict procedures in place for handling anonymous sources. These procedures vary but include safeguards to ensure the integrity and credibility of the news report, such as the identity of each anonymous source being disclosed to at least one senior news editor.
The goal is to provide people with news that is important, timely and credible.
Here are the guiding principles of the Radio-Television-Digital News Association code of ethics:
“Journalism’s obligation is to the public. Journalism places the public’s interests ahead of commercial, political and personal interests. Journalism empowers viewers, listeners and readers to make informed decisions for themselves; it does not tell people what to believe or how to feel. Ethical decision-making should occur at every step of the journalistic process, including story selection, news-gathering, production, presentation and delivery. Practitioners of ethical journalism seek diverse and even opposing opinions in order to reach better conclusions that can be clearly explained and effectively defended or, when appropriate, revisited and revised.”
It’s important to understand the difference between news stories, blogs and opinion columns. A news report includes the important relevant facts about what’s going on and can include quotes from people involved in the story. The quotes help explain and give context to the facts. A news report should not include the reporter/writer’s opinion.
Opinion columns including blogs, op-eds and editorials do include the writer’s opinion, but also should accurately cite facts that are relevant to the issue. A good opinion column honestly informs readers as it also tries to persuade them. An opinion column that cherry-picks only facts that are favorable to one side while ignoring or falsifying facts that are unfavorable to the writer’s argument is propaganda, not journalism.
In my political science studies, I have learned that all of us form opinions based on a variety of things, including what we like or dislike, our previous experiences, and our beliefs and principles. Information is an important component but is only part of the process of forming opinions.
It’s good to keep in mind that all of us, reporters included, have biases—people and things we inherently like and those we don’t like. I remember how my journalism classes many years ago at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln drummed that into me and my classmates—recognize your biases so that you can work to be objective in your reporting. Be objective by looking and honestly reporting on the important and relevant points on all sides so that readers can draw their own conclusions.
In the current political climate, it’s easy to look only at information that confirms our own biases and to get drawn into the emotion that is part of many political issues.
It’s also easy to start to look at those who disagree with us as enemies rather than as fellow Nebraskans, fellow Americans and fellow human beings who have opinions that are different from ours.
Over the years our country has had times of great division and times when people have come together. Our political institutions are designed to be robust, to check and balance power, and have stood up pretty well over the years.
There always has been tension between individual rights, wants and needs and what we decide through our representative government is in society’s best interest overall. The Constitution works through this tension by setting up three branches of government with checks and balances on power, and through the Bill of Rights and other amendments that guarantee individual rights and protections against government becoming tyrannical and abusive.
The First Amendment spells out five key freedoms:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
The free press has played a key role as a watchdog on government for the past 200-plus years, sometimes in ways that have been messy and imperfect, but in ways that overall have shed light on what our government and leaders do on our behalf.
We have norms for how we expect our institutions and leaders to function, which is in the best interest of all of us as best we can work it out.
Nebraska, too, has had its divisions, but also has had a history of pragmatic politics, of people working together to bridge their differences to try to work for the good of everyone. Seward has that in its history, too.
So my advice to you is to look at all sides of issues, read/listen to/watch news reports on all sides, test the credibility of the information, be informed, apply your beliefs and principles while being conscious of your biases, and draw your own conclusions.
My advice also would be to get involved in the community if you aren’t already, and in particular, get out and vote!
