Post Classifieds
Fact finding deficiency leads to media malfunctions
By Angelica Rodriguez
On April 24, 2013
Journalism students were given a thorough lesson last week in what not to do when reporting a
developing story - particularly a disaster like that which unfolded in Massachusetts.
Looking at Twitter and watching clips of coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing Monday
and the melee at MIT on Thursday, I received an Associated Press news alert stating that an
arrest was "imminent," when in fact there were no arrests made. I watched CNN and the New
York Post each racially profile and label suspects who had nothing to do with the crimes, just
because they happened to be "dark-skinned" and potentially Muslim - adding a whole new
level of untruth to the mix.
I also watched media outlets as they were instantly duped on Friday by a fake Twitter account
created under the name of the remaining living suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. All of this
combined to cause a spread of ridiculous misinformation and served to undermine the integrity
of journalism.
I would have expected nothing more from a sensational tabloid like the Post, because they've
routinely operated on false information and unnamed "sources." CNN and the Associated Press,
however, are highly respected in the media world, though CNN's credibility has been tarnished
in the wake of the Steubenville coverage (when Candy Crowley and Poppy Harlow lamented the
convicted rapists' futures rather than consider the implications this case has had on the victim).
Many people say that nowadays, journalism exists to make money, and in many ways,
unfortunately, that's true. But this business of continuously getting it wrong and reporting based
on speculation, not solid fact, is unethical. I personally would be wary of a news source if I knew
it had gotten crucial facts incorrect in the past, and I doubt that I'm the only one.
With that said, I certainly hope that people will get tired of the media circus surrounding horrible
events like this. Reporting like that is irresponsible, not to mention dangerous. Emotions run
high, add one bit of inaccuracy concerning information, and things can spiral out of control.
It also happened during the Newtown shootings, when a young man with the same last name
as the suspect was harassed on Facebook and Twitter, all due to shoddy reporting. Similar
incidents could have happened during 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing if Twitter and
Facebook had been around at the time. Hell, it even happened with Manti T'eo's "girlfriend,"
proving that fact checking has fallen by the wayside in more fields than just news reporting.
Major media networks know this, and yet newspapers and TV stations still rush to report without
confirming information, opening them up for a world of trouble.
As a student journalist, I study these incidents and become increasingly worried about what field
I'm getting myself into.
Journalists should stop trying to get the "first" scoops, and start getting the right ones. You
should be clear, concise and correct - if information isn't correct, the truth becomes unclear.
The public deserves better, and the journalists who do their job correctly and with integrity
don't deserve to have a shadow cast over by those who buy into the "you've heard it here first"
mentality.
Report the truth fairly, without speculation. Trust me, there are enough of us out there who
appreciate fair, balanced, and correct news coverage that you will be just fine financially.
Give journalism students positive examples to follow, rather than negative ones. And stop
appealing to the lowest common denominator. Instead, start challenging them to think critically,
and use information from all sides of the stories you report. I know it's idealistic of me to ask, but
we need to set a bar for reporters and news sources to aspire to.
Angelica Rodriguez can be reached by email at rodriguez.record@live.com.
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