Torch, Winter 2012

we need a filter that helps us discern truth from hype. Because news reports are not created equal, we must develop discernment in weighing the validity of competing truth claims. Your filter should begin with a healthy dose of skepticism because sometimes journalists get the story wrong. At the newspaper where I worked, we mistakenly reported the name of the next football coach at a prominent high school before thoroughly checking our sources. This kind of mistake happens in the national media as well. Remember when CBS News anchor Dan Rather trusted a source and reported that George W. Bush had eluded military service? It wasn’t true, but it made the news because it was a story many people wanted to believe. No matter what news sources we subscribe to, we should listen with a certain level of criticism. News distortion is usually not intentional. Journalists want to get the story right because they know their credibility is at stake. Most do not want to be part of the story or intend to create fear. But the giant machine of the 24-hour news cycle produces ever-increasing competition among a preponderance of news agencies. They all want to get the story first, and that makes it difficult to wait until the reporting is finished. Fear is bound to thrive in that environment because, when a major story breaks, there is often little information. We get names and generalities. Then we get speculation as the story develops. And speculation leads to hype and spin. No one can possibly consume all the news reports about the latest flu strain that threatens the public. There is no magic place to go for the truth when politicians disagree about whether a government shutdown will actually occur. Deciding what is real or hyped takes a filter. So how do you intelligently filter the galaxy of information produced by the 24-hour news cycle? The Way to Truth In The Elements of Journalism , Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel discuss two principles relevant to this discussion — truth and verification. Their research shows that journalists say they are committed to reporting the truth. It is often not an issue of deliberate or malicious distortion. But for journalists to get at least somewhere close to the truth, they must take what looks like truth and subject it to verification. According to Kovach and Rosenstiel, the essence of journalism is the discipline of verification. Without verification, hitting the truth is like trying to hit the bull’s-eye the first time you throw darts. The best journalists follow these principles because they are disciplined skeptics. They find alternative sources; they report subsequent stories in an attempt to obtain the truth; and they don’t give up. Fear can be a great motivator, and fear of getting the story wrong motivates the good reporter to get at what Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein calls the most obtainable version of the truth. Look for journalists and news agencies that follow up on the initial story — of course this will take some follow- up on your part. The ones who routinely move on to the next big story lack curiosity. The ones who believe there is more to the story, who keep digging and come back a week later with more to report, are better journalists. They might never get the complete story, but they will get closer to the whole truth than the average reporter. Pay attention to who reports what and when. Our never-ending news cycle demands far too often that journalists post their story online as soon as possible, accompanied by a Twitter tweet and a Facebook post. Multiply that times all the shares and retweets, and an unverified story can spread like dandelions. Add to your filter the ones who get it right, not necessarily the ones who get it first with no follow-up. Winter 2012 | TORCH 15