CIVIX Explains: Journalism Standards

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