WEBVTT

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♪ (music) ♪

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[Journalism Stantards]

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Journalism is the practice of researching,

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verifying, and presenting
information to the public.

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But not all journalism is created equally.

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Reports can range from short
bulletins written quickly,

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to substantial investigations that take
a lot of time and effort to produce.

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Some reporting that looks like journalism

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may not have the same standards
of research and rigor

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as reports produced
by professional organizations.

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To confuse matters more,

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false and misleading information online
can also look like journalism.

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With so many different sources
available to us,

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it is important to determine

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which information is reliable
and which is not.

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One key way to do this is to seek out
information from organizations

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that operate according
to a set of standards.

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Professional news organizations
won't always get it right,

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but a story is more likely to be reliable

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if it is produced in a process
that involves a commitment to accuracy.

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You can evaluate the quality
of a journalistic report

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by looking for some of the standards
that define journalism.

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Accuracy.

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Does the news organization
have a reputation for professionalism?

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Do they have a policy
for correcting mistakes?

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Research.

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How many people are interviewed
or quoted in the story?

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What supporting research or statistics
are included?

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Sourcing.

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Are the people quoted experts or otherwise
qualified to speak about the issue?

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Context.

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Does the story include
background information

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to help you understand
the key themes better?

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Fairness.

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Are people and issues described
using neutral language?

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Not all journalism will meet
the same standards.

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Becoming familiar 
with professional news organizations

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and the standards that define journalism

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can help us determine what to trust.

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♪ (music) ♪

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[Brought to you by CIVIX]

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[With the support of Canada]

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[Produced by SPACE HEART]