Situational Definition
Sourcing and attribution will seemingly always have an important role in journalism , as is outlined throughout the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics in “Seek Truth and Report It.”
The initial coverage of Joe Paterno’s death, when Penn State student news blog Onward State reported the death of the Nittany Lions’ former coach seven hours prior to his actual death. This mistake was based on a sourcing issue, which brings up the ethical issues of sourcing.
Analysis
Onward State said that it had received word from someone who had been forwarded an email from an official in Penn State Athletics that Paterno had died. Onward State ran with the story.
The issue in this case is the more anonymous nature of the source. Reporters do have to rely on the information that sources present them (Nieman Reports, 1999), but it is very much so in that reporter’s duty to verify as completely as possible that the information is true, and not based on a hoax email like in this case.
What followed in this case further illustrates the issues of sourcing and attribution with the emergence of social media. Whether it’s due to the need to have the information as quickly as possible, or whether it’s due to sheer journalistically unethical behavior, other outlets did run with the Onward State report — some not even attributing the information to the blog.
CBS college football reporter Adam Jacobi used the information that Onward State had released for his own report, then disseminated it as his own original report.
There are important reasons for attribution other than giving “credit where credit is due,” such as in a case like this where the information is wrong, leading a trail back to where the incorrect information came from (Broadcasting & Cable, 2013).
The false report all came crashing down when Scott Paterno, Joe Paterno’s son, made an announcement that his father was, in fact, still alive. Onward State made an official retraction and published a story on what occurred that led them to this false report. Devon Edwards, the managing editor that ran with the story, stepped down from his post. The blog showed the most important aspects of the “Be Accountable”portion of SPJ’s Code of Ethics.
Conclusion
The issues of sourcing and attribution in this case are troubling, but it also came at a much earlier time (2011) of this new world of digital media. Onward State should have more thoroughly investigated the source of this information, and obviously Jacobi should have attributed the information to Onward State. The blog also handled the aftermath of this issue well, which helped it stay on its feet during these early periods of its existence.
References
Verifying What Sources Say. (1999). Nieman Reports, 53(3), 20.
Not For Attribution. (2013). Broadcasting & Cable. p. 28.