Journalism verification

Verification in journalism is sort of everything, because our first obligation is to the truth and our loyalty to the citizen. Without verification of facts, we can’t be sure we are promoting the truth or being loyal to the citizen. Without verification, we pretty much are a tabloid magazine for businesses and government.

The text gave a few examples for how certain journalists or editors check their facts. Some have long lists of checkpoints asking questions like “Did you double check the quotes to make sure they are accurate in context?” What is also interesting is that a lot of newspapers have a person dedicated to checking facts. A “Fact Checker.” Now, I would not like to have this job because it must be pretty redundant and tough at times. Also, if you do your job well, no one cares, but if you slip up and the paper get sued, well then you’re out of a job.

Even though this position doesn’t get praised very much, it is crucial to journalism. Even according to the Hand Book of Journalism website, there is an entire section devoted to accuracy and the steps that should be taken if a mistake does occur.

Anonymous sources have provided amazing, groundbreaking stories such as the John Edwards paternity story as written about on the Poynter website and how an anonymous source was crucial. Especially in DC where government stories and government personnel are all around, anonymous sources are rampant. Though it is important for newspapers to find that balance between naming sources and not.

As a journalist, the question is always: How far would you go to protect your source? I would love to say I would be a hero, but I don’t think that’s true. Especially if I had a family to take care of, I just don’t think I could go to jail to protect a source. Though I do not expect to be writing some controversial story anytime soon.

The Story:

A lot of my friends have been decided to go insane. By insane I mean not eat sugar. So when I show up at night with a plate of cupcakes, all they do is whine and moan and ask me to make something they can eat. One girl constantly asks me to tell her my cupcakes are sugar free, even when they’re not.

So this recipe is for all the people who feel like they need a break from this sugary world.

Sugar Free Muffins

¼ cup honey

½ cup Oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup crushed pineapple

¼ cup pineapple juice

1. Beat honey, oil and eggs together until well blended. Add vanilla

2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together.

3. Mix dry and wet ingredients together until blended. Do not over mix.

4. Fold in carrots, pineapple, and pineapple juice.

*You can add walnuts or pecans if desired. Also, feel free to totally play around with the spices. Since there is no sugar, the pineapple and the spices will be what you taste.

239-6

The most memorable part of the lecture last week, besides him amazing ring tone going off, was when the presenter told us that he wakes up every morning asking himself “what is truth?” or something unto that. Most people wake up and first think about coffee of their children or how to make more money. But journalists do have a different perspective on life and the presenter made that clear.

Now, in reference to the book when it said that journalists are secluded and have no friends and should have no friends for the decency of their work… well that is just not true. Journalists are not so strange and different so that they can’t have friends, and they do not need to set themselves apart from personal interactions for the sake of their stories. A journalist writes to the people, and what better way to know how to write to the people than to talk to these people every day.

The presenter gave the example that he could not write about his son’s high school because it is his son’s. Even if he writes with no bias, other people can point and say, “Well his son goes there,” if they do not agree with the content of the article. So while being a part of the community is crucial, we need to not let it get in the way of our writing and our seek to find and share the truth.

Though it is strange as a member of the Church to hear journalism called a priesthood, I guess it is sort of true in a more worldly manner. More than a “priesthood,” I liked when the text referred to it as the fourth estate. Because ever since the start of this country, journalism and the press has been called to serve for the country. And all journalists see it as their duty to share problems or corruption that they find so that wrongs can be made right.

This is an article that discusses how the future of journalism and the technology today is destroying the priesthood behind journalism. It was written about a conference of journalists speaking about the topic journalism's future.

Connecting also to a topic we discussed a few weeks ago, truth vs. fairness. This is an article that discusses journalism’s higher calling and to not always produce equal sides to a story because there may not be equal sides. It was interesting to hear a newspaper talk about themselves and print a story assuring their audience that they do in fact have a higher calling to serve the people. So no matter what you call it, priesthood, fourth estate or something else, it is important to our society.

239-5

You take the good, you take the bad,

you take them both and there you have

The Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.

There's a time you got to go and show

You're growin' now you know about

The Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.

When the world never seems

to be livin up to your dreams

And suddenly you're finding out

the Facts of Life are all about you, you.

It takes a lot to get 'em right

When you're learning the Facts of Life. (learning the Facts of Life)

Learning the Facts of Life (learning the Facts of Life)

Learning the Facts of Life.

Anyone else watch “The Facts of Life” in the middle of the night growing up? Probably not. It came on after “Happy Days” on Nick at Nite. But if you take this song out of the context of the show, it related the journalism. (The show was filmed in the 1980’s an the plot was based off of a group of girls at a boarding school.)

Getting the facts right in journalism is huge, because unless you have the facts you can’t be loyal to your audience. You would not have the capability. Even if the facts are not what you would want them to be, “you take the good, you take the bad” and you write it. Because you don’t write for yourself, your editor, or your advertisers good journalists write for the people.

I feel like a lot of journalists like to muddy the waters because they think that being loyal to the “people” is the same as being loyal to “their people.” For example, if a journalist writes for a newspaper that is predominantly read by Left Wing citizens, then the journalist might believe it to be okay to share more points towards the left and neglect the right. But that isn’t what it means to be loyal to the people. But it sells. And because business is part of the journalism world, things are going to give and take no matter what.

I really loved the whole separate elevator conversation we had. One of the journalists and one for the advertisers. Though this is quite drastic, this was an owner really wanting to take a stand and to do everything possibly (even silly some might say) to keep traditional values.

As I was grading blogs today, a lot of people kept commenting on how the newspaper is boring or too old and needs to get with the times. But no matter what people use the newspaper for, it still needs to be rooted in the truth and in loyalty to the people. ALL of the people.