CHAPTER 12:

GETTING THE STORY

RIGHT AND BEING FAIR Be accurate

Verify

Avoid hoaxes

Be fair

Don’t fall in love with your story

DEFINITIONS

Credibility

Fact

Opinion

Accuracy

Truth

Context

Background

Fairness

Balance

Bias

Objectivity

BE ACCURATE BE FAIR

Definitions: Credibility •Deserving of being trusted and believed

Definitions

Definitions: Fact •A piece of information that has been verified or is known to be true.

Examples:

• U Thein Sein is the

president of Myanmar.

• Myanmar won the silver

medal in football at the

2015 Southeast Asian

Games.

• The population of

Myanmar was 51.5

million, according to

the country’s 2014

census.

By C

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tha

m H

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Definitions

Definitions: Opinion • Go beyond what is known to assert a

belief, conclusion or prejudice.

Examples:

• U Thein Sein is a good

president of Myanmar.

• Myanmar should have won

the gold medal in the

Southeast Asian Games.

• The population of Myanmar

was 51.5 million, according

to the country’s 2014

census, and is too small.

By C

ha

tha

m H

ou

se

Definitions

“JUST

the

FACTS,

ma’am” Police Sgt. Joe

Friday from the 1950s

“Dragnet” TV show in

the United States.

By j

ayd

ex

Definitions

Fact or opinion? The defendant’s confession

came at the end of the depositions in the trial for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which firmly established his participation in terror activity beyond any doubt.

The defendant’s confession came at the end of the depositions in the trial for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 135 witnesses identified him as one of the gunmen who fired on commuters at the Mumbai station.

Definitions

Fact or opinion? The defendant’s confession

came at the end of the depositions in the trial for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which firmly established his participation in terror activity beyond any doubt.

The defendant’s confession came at the end of the depositions in the trial for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 135 witnesses identified him as one of the gunmen who fired on commuters at the Mumbai station.

Definitions

Fact or opinion? a. Mitt Romney’s futile election

campaign came to a disappointing

end last night as the exhausted

candidate conceded defeat before

200 loyal supporters.

b. Mitt Romney’s presidential

election campaign came to an end

last night as the Republican

candidate conceded defeat before

200 cheering supporters.

By davelawrence8

Definitions

Fact or opinion? a. Mitt Romney’s futile election

campaign came to a disappointing

end last night as the exhausted

candidate conceded defeat before

200 loyal supporters.

b. Mitt Romney’s presidential

election campaign came to an end

last night as the Republican

candidate conceded defeat before

200 cheering supporters.

By davelawrence8

Definitions

Fact or opinion? a. Mitt Romney’s futile election

campaign came to a disappointing

end last night as the exhausted

candidate conceded defeat before

200 loyal supporters.

b. Mitt Romney’s presidential

election campaign came to an end

last night as the Republican

candidate conceded defeat before

200 cheering supporters.

By davelawrence8

Definitions

Definitions: Accuracy •Being correct, true and precise.

• Which is more precise?

a. The woman is very tall.

OR

b. The woman is 183

centimeters tall.

By P

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Du

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Definitions

Definitions: Truth •Verifiable facts placed in a context and

with background to aid understanding

By D

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Definitions

Definitions: context and background

Both help readers better understand the

event. Which is context? Background?

A. Information in a story that tells readers

the current general situation related to

the event being reported in the story.

B. Information in a story that tells readers

what happened in the past, related to

the event being reported in the story.

Definitions

Definitions: context and background

Find both: The prime minister’s statement came

amid a tense stand-off between Cambodian and

Thai troops near the 11th-century Preah Vihear

temple, which last month erupted into a clash

that raised concerns of a border war.

By W

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am

Bre

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Definitions

Definitions: context and background

Context? The prime minister’s statement came

amid a tense stand-off between Cambodian and

Thai troops near the 11th-century Preah Vihear

temple, which last month erupted into a clash

that raised concerns of a border war.

By W

illi

am

Bre

hm

Definitions

Definitions: context and background

Context? The prime minister’s statement came

amid a tense stand-off between Cambodian and

Thai troops near the 11th-century Preah Vihear

temple, which last month erupted into a clash

that raised concerns of a border war.

By W

illi

am

Bre

hm

Definitions

Definitions: context and background

Background? The prime minister’s statement

came amid a tense stand-off between

Cambodian and Thai troops near the 11th-century

Preah Vihear temple, which last month erupted

into a clash that raised concerns of a border war.

By W

illi

am

Bre

hm

Definitions

Definitions: context and background

Background? The prime minister’s statement

came amid a tense stand-off between

Cambodian and Thai troops near the 11th-century

Preah Vihear temple, which last month erupted

into a clash that raised concerns of a border war.

By W

illi

am

Bre

hm

Definitions

SPJ CODE: Seek truth and report it.

• Truth starts with getting the facts verified and

accurate.

• Goes beyond transcribing what someone in

authority has to say.

Be

Yo

ur

Ow

n B

oss

Boss Stenographer

Definitions

By T

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ma

s A

nd

ers

on

“You are not

a stenographer.”

“Your job is

to get the

answers.”

“Your job is

to get the

truth.”

Definitions

1950s: U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy

• Journalists reported his undocumented charges

of Communists in U.S. government.

• Great damage done to his targets

• ASK: HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? B

y B

osto

n P

ub

lic L

ibra

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Definitions

BE ACCURATE Verify

Avoid hoaxes

10 most common errors 1. Misquotation

2. Numbers wrong

3. Misspelling

4. Job title wrong

5. Name wrong

6. Location wrong

7. Time wrong

8. Date wrong

9. Address wrong

10. Age wrong

Factual newspaper errors ranked in order of frequency, according to research at the University of

Oregon. From Inside Reporting, by Tim Harrower

Accuracy

NEVER

ASSUME

Accuracy

What does

ASSUME

spell?

Accuracy

ASS

U

ME

By h

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Accuracy

Accuracy checklist Accuracy

Why use a checklist?

“Miracle on the Hudson” emergency

landing of US Airways #1549 in 2009

in NYC. All 155 on board survived.

By N

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U.S

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orp

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ers

Why use a checklist?

By N

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U.S

. A

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orp

s o

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Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger

By I

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• First officer was working

through an engine-restart

checklist and then a water-

landing checklist

• The use of a surgical-safety

checklist helped reduce

inpatient deaths following

operations by 40 percent.

Accuracy checklist Accuracy

Definitions: Verification

The steps a reporter takes to

make sure that the information a

source gives to him or her is true.

This may involve:

(1) observation,

(2) talking to other sources,

(3) looking at documents.

Verification

ASK: HOW

DO YOU

KNOW THAT?

Verification

If your mother says she loves

you,…

By D

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Verification

CHECK

IT

OUT!

Verification

By Din Jimenez

Verification

http://ethics.npr.org/category/memos-from-memmott/

Verification

http://ethics.npr.org/category/memos-from-memmott/

Verification

May 27, 2015

Verification

“Senior monk U Thuta Nanda, a South

Okkalapa resident, said he was motivated to

join Wednesday’s protest by his concerns that

the Muslim population of Burma would

increase dramatically….He claimed that

Burma’s Muslim minority was attempting to

join the governing Union Solidarity and

Development Party (USDP) and the opposition

National League for Democracy (NLD)….”

“’We found that they have 25% of the power in

both political parties already,’ the monk said.”

ASK: HOW

DO YOU

KNOW THAT?

Verification

Verification

Verification

“According to the Pew Research Center, 3.8

percent of the total population of Burma

was Muslim, a figure that is expected to

remain static through at least 2030.”

“A phone call to NLD lawmaker Min Thu

confirmed that his party had no Muslim MPs

sitting in the Union Parliament. A survey of

the Parliamentary Handbook, published by

Myanmar Consolidated Media, found that of

the USDP’s 336 MPs in the Union

Parliament, a total of three belonged to the

Muslim faith.”

GET IT

FIRST,

BUT GET IT

RIGHT.

Verification

Verification

In 2011, 18 shot, including

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords; six died

NPR reports:

Congresswoman

Gabrielle Giffords dead

The story was wrong!

Verification

Others reported the error

“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”

Verification

– Winston Churchill,

prime minister of Great Britain

How did NPR

get it wrong? •2 sources, but both anonymous

• Local sheriff’s office

• Congressional office

•Neither source had first-hand knowledge

•Did not follow policy requiring a top editor’s approval for the anonymous sources

Verification

Lessons • In reporting a death, the best sources are the hospital, funeral home or family – those with first-hand knowledge.

•Ask sources: how do you know that?

•Follow policy requiring a top editor’s approval for anonymous sources

•Don’t report as truth just because others are

Verification

Impact of the mistake •Caused enormous grief to her family and friends

•Damaged NPR’s credibility

Verification

Definitions: hoax A deliberate effort to

make you believe

that something false

is true

EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON

FACEBOOK IS TRUE.

TRUE OR FALSE?

Verification

Verify to avoid hoaxes Verification

http://snopes.com/

Verify to avoid hoaxes Verification

Urban legend: a story about an

unusual event that many believe is true

but that is not true

Verify to avoid hoaxes Verification

Urban legend: a story about an

unusual event that many believe is true

but that is not true

Verification

DO YOU:

a. Put a story and photo up on your

news outlet’s website: “Kentucky Fried

Rat found at KFC”

b.Try to verify the story.

Verification

ASK: HOW

DO YOU

KNOW THAT?

Verification

HOW WOULD YOU VERIFY THE STORY?

a. Contact the person who posted it.

b. Ask to take the “rat” in for lab testing.

c. Contact the restaurant inspectors.

d. Contact KFC for comment.

e. All of the above.

Verification

Verification

Verification

Verification

Dec. 14, 2014

HOW WOULD YOU VERIFY THE STORY?

ASK: HOW

DO I

KNOW THAT?

Verification

Verification

Dec. 14, 2014

ASK FOR DOCUMENTS AND VERIFY.

Verification

Dec. 14, 2014

HOW WOULD YOU VERIFY THEM?

Verification

Verification

June 19, 2015

fails to verify Verification

June 30, 2015

What should The New York Times have done?

Verification

Verification

• Fabrication

Making things up and passing them

off as true.

REVIEW: Definition of

verification

The steps a reporter takes to make sure

that the information a source gives to

him or her is true. This may involve:

(1) observation,

(2) talking to other sources,

(3) looking at documents.

What should the reporter have asked?

Verification

ASK: HOW

DO YOU

KNOW THAT?

Verification

Can I

SEE the

SOURCE of

your info?

Verification

Verification

Source Reporter

SITES TO TRACK PHOTOS

https://images.google.com/

http://tineye.com/

Verification

SITES TO TRACK PHOTOS Verification

SITES TO TRACK PHOTOS Verification

SITES TO TRACK PHOTOS Verification

http://verificationhandbook.com/

BE FAIR Including: Don’t fall in love with

your story.

Definitions: Fairness •Treating all people and subjects in

an equal, even-handed and

reasonable way.

By T

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Piz

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w

Definitions

Definitions: Balance •Reporting all sides of a subject

without favoring one over another

By v

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Definitions

Balance and fairness

• Reporters interview sources from all sides.

• Balanced stories do not favor one side.

• Fair stories treat all sides in an equal, even-

handed and reasonable way.

• When you can’t get a response from a

particular side, you include HIGH in the story

how you tried to reach them.

• “U Kyaw Soe did not immediately return a phone

message requesting comment.”

Definitions

Definitions: Bias •A way of looking at the world that

values one group, person or

philosophy over another.

By H

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Definitions

Definitions: Objectivity •Reporting on a subject fairly

without being influenced by

personal beliefs, feelings or biases.

•The reporter keeps his or her own

opinions and feelings out of the

story as much as possible and

reports only the facts.

Definitions

http://bit.ly/1ITiuLl

http://bit.ly/1ed023t

Definitions

TWO CASE STUDIES 1. What did Rolling Stone do wrong in “A

Rape on Campus”?

2. What did the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

do wrong in the case of security guard

Richard Jewell?

By NIAID

Don’t fall in love with your idea

By Esparta Palma

Definitions: Confirmation Bias Tendency to search for or interpret information

in a way that confirms one's ideas

By woodleywonderworks

Definitions

Definitions: Fraternity An organization of male students at a

college who often live together in a house

Definitions

By hobvias sudoneighm

Definitions: Derogatory Negative or

unflattering

November 2014

“The article quoted Jackie as

saying that the attack by seven

men was orchestrated by a

fraternity member who worked

with her at the school’s aquatic

center.

“She also said she immediately

told three friends about the

attack, but she said they were

generally unsupportive, and that at

least two encouraged her to keep

quiet to protect their social

standing.”

– The Associated Press

November 2014

“The article quoted Jackie as

saying that the attack by seven

men was orchestrated by a

fraternity member who worked

with her at the school’s aquatic

center.

“She also said she immediately

told three friends about the

attack, but she said they were

generally unsupportive, and that at

least two encouraged her to keep

quiet to protect their social

standing.”

– The Associated Press

Magazine requests report

By Mathew Ingram

Dean Steve Coll

•Published a one-source story

•Used pseudonyms (fake names) to

avoid addressing reporting gaps

•Did not seek Jackie’s friends to

allow them to respond to her

derogatory comments about them

•Did not try hard enough to find the

frat member accused of organizing

the attack

•Failed to give the fraternity adequate

information to respond

What Rolling Stone Did Wrong

“If the fraternity had had more

information, it might have been able

to explain earlier that it did not hold

a social function the night of the

attack and that none of its members

worked at the aquatic center, the

report noted.”

– The Associated Press

What Rolling Stone Did Wrong

November 2014

November 2014

Wrongly accused: Richard Jewell Security guard at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996

July 27, 1996: Jewell finds

suspicious backpack in

Centennial Olympic Park and

clears area. Bomb explodes,

killing one and injuring 111.

July 30, 1996: Atlanta Journal-

Constitution reports Jewell is

“the focus of the federal

investigation.”

October 1996: U.S. attorney says

Jewell is not a target of the

federal investigation.

2005: Eric Rudolph pleads guilty.

Case Study

Wrongly accused: Richard Jewell Security guard at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996

2000s: Jewell settles

libel lawsuits against

several media

outlets for

undisclosed sums.

Aug. 29, 2007: Jewell

dies at 44.

December 2007: Last

lawsuit, against the

Atlanta Journal-

Constitution, is

dismissed.

Case Study

Wrongly accused: Richard Jewell Security guard at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996

DISCUSS:

1. Should Richard

Jewell have been

named, given that he

was not charged?

Use the 10-question

template on page

113.

2. If the answer to

Question 1 is yes, is

the resulting story

accurate and fair?

See pages 184-185.

Case Study

SPJ Code: Minimize harm

Consider the implications

of identifying criminal

suspects before they face

legal charges.

Case Study

What’s wrong with the story? • Says Jewell is “the focus” of the investigation even

though journalists knew agents were looking at other

possible suspects.

• No attribution

• Does not say prominently that (a) Jewell has not been

charged and (b) investigators have not revealed any

physical evidence linking him to the crime.

• Does not include a comment from Jewell or his

attorney

• Factual error: says Jewell “had approached

newspapers…seeking publicity”

• Imprecise measurement that the warning call was made

on a phone “a few minutes’ walk from the park.”

Case Study

1. Credibility

2. Fact

3. Opinion

4. Truth

5. Bias

6. Objectivity

7. Balance

8. Fairness

9. Accuracy

a. Reporting on all sides of a subject without

favoring one over another

b. Reporting on a subject fairly without being

influenced by personal beliefs, feelings or

biases

c. A piece of info that has been verified or is

known to be true

d. Being correct, true and precise

e. Deserving of being trusted and believed

f. Going beyond what is known to assert a

belief, conclusion or prejudice

g. Verifiable facts

h. A way of looking at the world that values

one person, group or philosophy over

another

i. Treating all people and subjects in an

equal, even-handed and reasonable way.

REVIEW: Definitions

1. Accuracy

2. Verification

3. Objectivity

4. Attribution

5. Balance

6. Fairness

7. Clarity

8. Completeness

a. The way in which the reporter

describes the source of a quote or

information.

b. Reporting on all sides of a subject

without favoring one over another

c. Written clearly so that readers can

easily understand a story

d. Reporting on a subject fairly without

being influenced by personal beliefs,

feelings or biases

e. The steps a reporter takes to make

sure that the information a source

gives to him or her is true.

f. Being correct, true and precise

g. Answers all of a reasonable reader’s

questions.

h. Treating all people and subjects in an

equal, even-handed and reasonable

way.

REVIEW: Basic requirements for stories