|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Verification, Independence and
Accountability |
|
| |
 Lesson
2: Verification, Independence and Accountability
The lesson includes a video program, the text for the
video
program, and a words in this story section. |
|
|
|
Lesson 2: Verification, Independence and Accountability
Watch the video program about this lesson.
Then read the text and the words in this story section. |
|
|
Lesson
2: Verification, Independence and Accountability |
What is legitimate journalism? It is news that has been
verified by an independent organization that is
accountable for the information.
Verification, independence and accountability are the
characteristics of quality journalism. Let’s examine
Verification. It’s the process of establishing that
information is truthful and accurate.
Journalists collect information with the goal of
providing the most accurate version of events. They talk
to sources, dig through information, and provide
accurate documents to back up their stories.
In 2004, the CBS News broadcast 60 Minutes claimed it
had documents critical of the National Guard service of
President George W. Bush. But CBS News failed to
authenticate the documents and they were, in fact,
forgeries. Several journalists, including anchorman Dan
Rather, were fired.
Independence. It is a freedom from control or influence,
combined with impartiality.
Independence includes objectivity, fairness and balance.
But what is fairness? What is balance? And how do we
determine that?
Let’s take, for example the myth that the measles,
mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the cause of autism.
This claim has been completely discredited, yet several
Hollywood celebrities continue to endorse it, some
backing an anti-vaccine film made by pseudo-scientists.
Should journalists reporting on autism give time to the
position of the anti-vaccine believers? No. They are not
scientists. Their “opinions” cannot be balanced against
scientific knowledge and certainty. Both sides are not
equal and it is misleading to treat them equally.
Accountability. The process of taking responsibility for
the reporting.
News organizations should be clearly identified and
journalists’ contact information, easily obtainable. But
most importantly, any news organization or journalist
should be prepared to admit errors when they’ve been
made.
In 2005, the New York Times asked veteran reporter
Judith Miller to resign after it became clear her
reporting about the Iraq war was wrong. The Times wrote
an extraordinary critique of its own editorial process.
That is also accountability.
Verification, Independence and Accountability. These are
the three main elements of journalism and what
distinguishes it from other kinds of information.
In our next lesson, we will look more closely at
verification.
This lesson is based on the News Literacy class at the
Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University. For
more on how to become a news literate citizen, go to The
Center for News Literacy. |
|
|
Words in This Story |
-
legitimate - adj.
real truthful
-
accountable - adj.
take responsibility for
-
characteristic - n.
a feature of something
- accurate
- adj. truthful,
correct
- forgeries
- n. something that is
created to falsely look real
-
impartiality - n.
without any interest, seeing both sides equally
- myth
- n. In our next
lesson, we will look more closely at verification.
- autism
- n. a condition or
disorder that begins in childhood and that causes
problems in forming relationships and in
communicating with other people
- mislead
- v. to purposely give
a false idea to someone
- obtain
- v. to get, to have
- error
- n. a mistake,
something incorrect
- critique
- n. a careful judgment
about something’s quality
|
|
Source: Voice of America |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search Fun Easy English |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About
Contact
Copyright
Resources
Site Map |
