In the American Journalism Review article, The Quality-Control Quandary, the writer explores the challenges newspapers face now that they are increasing Web content but have to reduce the numbers of editors. Many online articles receive little or no editing before they are posted.
I know times are hard in the newspaper industry, but cutting back on accuracy is not a solution. I don't understand why articles online should be any less accurate than those in print. Readers don't understand the difference in the editing process between the two. And why should they? They should be able to trust that any information coming from the paper is accurate.
Aside from the ethics of the issues, legal repercussions should be enough to make the papers strive for accuracy everywhere. In the article, the editor of the Baltimore Sun, John E. McIntyre, says that editors protect papers from printing libelous work. Having a well-staffed group of editors is a lot cheaper than court costs and huge settlements from libel lawsuits.
So what should newspapers do? The article describes how some newspapers are putting more of an emphasis on reporters editing their own work and having them follow guidelines to reduce errors. However, I believe that neither of these practices will replace the eyes of a well-staffed group of editors.
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I thought you made a good point about the legal implications of less editors. It's understated how easy it is to slip up and write something libelous. I think online papers may learn the hard way when they are sued for a libelous story that an editor would have caught. Fact checking, although the writer's job first, is a difficult thing to handle by oneself, professional editors could provide sage advice for online journalists.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the title of your post, no, readers should not expect less from online news. The times are changing, and with them, journalism is also evolving. We all know that nowadays an overwhelming majority of people get their news from online. This trend called for a change in the way that journalism is performed. If more people are getting their news online, it is journalists' responsibility to make sure that news they are obtaining online is just as accurate and reliable as news they would get in print-form.
ReplyDeleteJust because readers are not holding a paper physically in their hands does not mean that they don't deserve the same quality of news.
I agree with what Candance said...no readers should not expect less from online news. I mean afterall, it is still news, right?
ReplyDeleteIn my J405 class today, my teachers told us about this new thing called "Chicago News" that I think the Tribune is starting. It is going to be an online "newspaper" made up of 80 bloggers. The bloggers will receive $5 for every 1,000 hits to their blog. In addition to these bloggers, citizens will be able to send in entries that will be posted as well. If you ask me, this is not news. There will really be no editing, no actual reporting, etc. It is just going to be a web site of online opinions being termed as "news." I don't think this is a good solution to the problem at hand. Online news needs to be just as factual and legitimate as newspapers.