Journalism is the practice of researching,
verifying, and presenting information to the public.
But not all journalism is created equally. Reports can range from short bulletins written quickly,
to substantial investigations that take a lot of time and effort to produce.
Some reporting that looks like journalism may not have the same standards of research and rigor
as reports produced by professional organizations.
To confuse matters more false and misleading information online can also look like journalism.
With so many different sources available to us, it is important to determine
which information is reliable and which is not. One key way to do this is to seek
out information from organizations that operate according to a set of standards.
Professional news organizations won't always get it right but a story is more likely to be reliable
if it is produced in a process that involves a commitment to accuracy. You can evaluate the
quality of a journalistic report by looking for some of the standards that define journalism.
Accuracy Does the news organization
have a reputation for professionalism? Do they have a policy for correcting mistakes?
Research How many people
are interviewed or quoted in the story. What supporting research or statistics are included?
Sourcing
Are the people quoted experts or otherwise qualified to speak about the issue?
Context
Does the story include background information to help you understand the key themes better?
Fairness
Are people and issues described using neutral language?
Not all journalism will meet the same standards. Becoming familiar with professional news
organizations and the standards that define journalism can help us determine what to trust