Publish First, Update Later

Lauren McKinzie

lm122811@ohio.edu

In a time where news can spread like wildfire, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are the places to find news fast. But, can these platforms always be trusted to deliver accurate information? The answer is no. Currently, people still trust the big news companies to deliver the truth about a story. The Associated Press and CNN are "slower" than what people may want, but they are accurate. 

Some news sites, in order to keep up with social media, are using a "publish first, update later strategy." But, this strategy does not uphold the RTDNA and PRSA ethical standards. It does not even uphold the RTDNA Social Media and Blogging Guidelines. I think to maintain the integrity of journalism we need uphold the ethical guidelines of journalism. That is what differentiates journalist from everyone else. 

In a journalism study done by Poynter, they found that only 20% of respondents check their facts before publishing. Poynter said, "publish first, correct if necessary is the order of the day." Yet, the public is supposed to rely upon and trust news companies. 

This is where the problem is occurring. The race to get news out as fast as possible is creating a lack in truthfulness and fairness. I think journalist need to go back to the basics and look at the foundation of journalism to realize that faster is not always better. It's accurate and truthful informative news that will keep your audience. 

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/257027/survey-journalists-tend-to-publish-first-check-facts-later/