Situation Definition
As part of the Oweida Lecture in Journalism Ethics, Marty Barron, editor of the Washington Post, spoke to Penn State students on March 21st in Freeman Auditorium. Barron addressed a wide array of topics pertaining to ethics in journalism, but what stood out to me was a section in his speech that addressed the need for journalists in our country today. (Barron specifically discussed Trump’s rhetoric about the opposition party) Barron began by admitting that journalists are indeed flawed and very capable of making mistakes, but he went on to speak to the fact that there is no true democracy without freedom of expression. Therefore, he argued, the press is necessary for democracy to work.
With this in mind, Barron discussed the need for the press to hold government officials accountable. He added that accountability is the mission of a journalist, and in order to fulfill this mission, journalists must specifically look at evidence, experience and expertise. By observing and carrying out these fundamental practices, journalist work toward creating a more ethical media environment while simultaneously justly serving their publics.
Analysis:
The three Es, Evidence, Experience and Expertise, the ingredients to a more ethically sound journalistic environment.
Barron described evidence as facts based on witnesses, documents and assertions verified. Evidence is not what we, as journalists, believe to be true. Evidence is not truth based on gossip. But rather, evidence is examining documents and analyzing the truth. Essentially, evidence is fact checking. In 2000 Presidential Election between Bush and Gore it was unclear on election eve which candidate had captured Florida. Whomever won this State would become the next president, so the importance riding on Florida votes was undeniable. When the Supreme Court halted a recount in the state, the Miami Herald, led by editor Barron, took matters into their own hands by acquiring every ballot cast in each of the 67 counties of Florida. The Miami Herald recounted the vote and also hired an accounting firm to recount again. By doing this, the Miami Herald ensured they were presenting their audience with evidence and not assumptions.
Elizabeth Donald, American author and journalist, spoke to the importance of evidence and fact checking in journalism. She explained the phenomenon as, “Not just taking the statistic you are handed and making sure it’s spelled the same as the release, but going back to the source material and examining it yourself with critical thinking and an open mind. (Donald, 2012).”
In addition to evidence, experience is equally important in order to create a factitious story. Two different facets fall under the umbrella of experience in regards to journalistic sources. The first being personal experience which includes both first-hand knowledge and witnesses.
“The concept of witness has a stake in truth and truth-telling, and therefore, witness is concerned with justice. To be a witness is not just an empirical narration of facts, but a conviction that the testimony matters (Richards, 2007).”
The second pillar of ethical journalism is professional experience. Both personal and professional point of views go a long way in educating and constructing stories. Professional experience goes hand in hand with the last fundamental journalistic practice, expertise
Expertise better known as a knowledge in a particular field, is a well sought out characteristic of the public by journalists. Journalists rely heavily on knowledge of health professionals and scientists. By consulting experts, journalist feel a sense of comfort due to source credibility. But, it is essential to for journalists to always ask themselves, “Why are we speaking to the people that we are. According to Barron, important follow up questions could be:
“Have they been educated?”
“Do they have a positive track record?”
“Do they have practice in the field?”
By asking these essential questions, journalists will work toward deciphering between credible and non-credible sources.
Conclusion:
It was said by Marty Barron that when journalists rely on evidence experience and expertise they are performing their duty to be an independent check on power. There is no alternative to the truth. A journalist’s duty is to seek out the facts, and by doing this, they are serving the greater public.
References:
Richards, A. (2007.) Witness: A Shared Concept in Christian Theology and Broadcast Journalism. Conference Papers –National Communication Association, 1.
DONALD, E. (2012). The ‘duh’ of fact checking. Quill, 100(6), 30.