Sp102706@ohio.edu
For me, it’s a no brainer. Online journalism should be held on the same level of responsibility as print journalism. The stories should go through the same amount of scrutiny, fact checking, and editing as they would in a print newspaper or magazine. Why, then, are there so many problems with unconfirmed or just plain false news being reported on the Web?
Online copy editing research
The Columbian Journalism Review published a report that included statistics on online journalism copy editing. This article states that the research concluded that only 41% of publications give the online articles the same amount of editing. A whopping 48% of the publications claimed that the online-content was edited, but “less rigorously than the print stories.
Furthermore, 35% of the online-content is fact-checked “less rigorously” than print.
So, online stories are being produced faster due to competition and being copyedited less? I don’t know about you, but I often make more mistakes the faster I work.
Think like a copy editor
I think, to solve the problem, online journalists need to start working like a copy editor. They should be able pay more attention to the facts and details while working under the pressure of the ever tightening deadlines.
Associate Professor Rich Gordon at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism supervised a study on online journalists. He concluded in this article, “What online newsrooms need are people who have news judgment and can copy edit, write headlines, package and present content on a page.” Journalists need to be more and more versatile.
Back to core values
As journalists, we are still obligated to ensure accuracy and fairness.
The article, “In digital age, copy editors still uphold journalistic responsibility,” highlights some of the challenges of copy editors in the online world. Good copy editors should know that you can’t cut corners when it comes to reviewing an article for errors.
John McIntyre, a past copy desk chief for the Baltimore Sun stated, “You don’t get a pass from ethics or common standards of accuracy and decency just because you’re writing fast for the Internet.”
Bottom line? If you want to keep the trust of your readers, start copy editing the right way!
Photo from Geek and Poke at http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/
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