Journalism needs to go back to the basics

Posted on | February 3, 2010 | 5903 Comments2010-02-03+19%3A02%3A48Laane

When I was taught the ins and outs of journalism I was told that the main part of my work would be tracing the facts.

My head editor was happy with a student that studied psychology too, because the local university was wellknown for the emphasis on methods of research and a very high level of education in statistical analysis.
He was even more happy when I became a lecturer of research methods and statistical analysis and soon after he gave me more responsibilities in editing, en when he got ill he trusted the magazine in my hands.

The thorough way of working was time consuming, gave one a feeling of being Sherlock Holmes, and involved contacting people I would never ever dared to contact.

Because if the time involved, and with it money, this kind of journalism has almost disappeared.

A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend, who runs a newspaper which is nearly alive, due to the fact that old fashioned journalism costs time and money.
He too (like me) was terribly annoyed by the fact that the TV journalists just rewrite yahoo news, wait until certain news is twittered by the large international newsstations, and never ever check their sources unless they want an interview for TV or other third parties are involved.

Where we take our time to do proper research, they earn their money.

We already knew that vaccines don’t cause autism, for example, because we conducted a very large international research review and couldn’t come up with any proof at all.

Nick Davies wrote about the same subject in Flat Earth News, (now also available in Dutch: Gebakken Lucht), and he was confronted with quite some agression of fellow journalists.
I share his experience.

When we step outside the modern trend of journalism focussed on the reader we show the failure of today’s journalism.

Fact-oriented journalists are of a dying race.

It’s a pity that people often don’t want to listen to us.

We’ve warned so often: against the attack on Iraq for instance, and against many other mistakes that history has revealed or has yet to reveal. But people don’t like the way we talk, and maybe don’t even like the way we look or walk.

Here’s Nick Davies for Dutch TV:

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Comments

5903 Responses2010-02-03+19%3A02%3A48Laane to “Journalism needs to go back to the basics”

sharkbytes (1 comments)
February 4th, 2010 @ 1:03 pm

Facts? We don't need no stinkin' facts! If I think its true, it must be true, right? (I hope you can tell I'm being sarcastic)
Hans (4 comments)
February 4th, 2010 @ 2:56 pm

Laane,
Maybe you like this article by a Dutch reporter in Turkey:
(cannot create a link??) Frederick Geerdink Blog Journalist In Turkey
blog post; sure about the facts…
Kindest
Laane (4 comments)
February 5th, 2010 @ 2:35 am

Yes. I know your blog, so I can “hear”you saying this. LOL!
But you’re right.