CIVIX Explains: Journalism Standards

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[Journalism Stantards]

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.

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[Brought to you by CIVIX]

[With the support of Canada]

[Produced by SPACE HEART]