Torch, Winter 2012

Verification is more than just getting the facts right. That kind of accuracy is crucial to a journalist’s credibility, but as Kovach and Rosenstiel explain, facts don’t necessarily reveal truth. The issue of global warming is a pertinent example. A reporter can get all the facts right about what the United Nations says about global warming. That doesn’t mean those facts are unbiased. Clearly, there are other opinions about the veracity of global warming. Mostly we see reports that trumpet one side or the other. You either search — probably in vain — for a report that does justice to both sides, or you compare differing reports. When it seems that everything turns into a political issue, it becomes even more difficult to know which sources to trust. News organizations declare their objectivity, but even your most trusted sources will struggle to be impartial. Because bias is inevitable, listening to a spectrum of views is a good way to develop discernment. You will begin recognizing the value systems that underlie opposing viewpoints, and from there you can start discerning the validity of these perspectives. Also remember that even your own filter reflects a bias. Whether we recognize it or not, we filter information toward our own political views, worldviews, values, and fears — just like journalists. The challenge is to avoid interpreting it based on preconception instead of reality. A Wider Perspective So what do you do with this knowledge that a lot of the information you process just might be misinformation or spin? It may or may not be the fault of the messenger. It might well be the sources in a news story who are misleading you and the reporter. Good reporters will check the facts and go back to the source with more questions in an attempt to report the most obtainable version of the truth, but too often what we get from the news is instant reporting of a he-said, she-said nature because of the demand for immediacy. Even when good follow-up reporting is done, the initial report has gained an audience, and these first impressions are difficult to overcome. Journalists who question sources are the kind you want in your filter. Because we go so often to what we have conditioned ourselves to trust, it is wise to spend a little time to see what the others are doing. Multiple perspectives are helpful in formulating your opinions. When I wrote columns, my goal was not to get everyone to agree with me. I wanted to provoke 16 TORCH | Winter 2012 MAGDALENATWORKOWSKA | ISTOCKPHOTO AND KATHRYN KRAMER | CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY