Fairness, Accuracy and Balance
As a journalist is it your responsibility to define your motives in order to ensure that your personal opinions, feelings and emotions do not influence what you write, the people you speak to, nor should they control which parts of the story you place emphasis on. The people used in your stories must never be utilised to sensationalise the significance of the story, which is why exploring all sides to an issue is crucial in order to accurately report on your discoveries. It is also very important to think about the delivery of your reporting, taking into account the tone of the language used to ensure that facts being shown are fair and accurate. Facts used must always be clear, well-sourced and backed by evidence if your intention is to spark public discussion of debate. More than often news coverage only represents the voices of the powerful or the voices of those from two different extremes, which is why balance is vital in the writing and reporting of your stories.
During the rise of the digital age, technology has certainly changed the game within the journalism industry. Certain values like accuracy for instance, have not been prioritised due to the 24 hour news cycle and the competitive nature that comes with the business. Journalist are therefore pressured to break the news without properly verifying the facts, hence why accuracy is key especially in approaching digital platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. It is important to remember that news outlets build positive reputations and produce good journalism through accurate and relevant reporting, not immediate and erroneous information pushed by the vying culture of the industry.
Example of accurate news source:
A 2016 poll conducted by Research Now found voters trusted ABC as their most reliable news source.
