The Importance of Being Transparent

Gillian Gonder
gg346916@ohio.edu

In 1895, Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" premiered in London, England. The play is a comedy in which the main characters portray fictitious personalities to avoid particularly burdensome social obligations. Being earnest means showing serious conviction, but the play also brings to light the importance of telling the truth and not cutting corners to avoid questions, obligations, and other tasks. The same is true with journalism.

Journalists are frequently under fire for not telling the complete truth and for cutting corners to get ahead. Eventually, the truth gets out, and whoever is found guilty of not telling the truth is shunned in the industry.

It can be said that when journalists lie, they are putting on a different face to avoid putting in the necessary work for a story. Jayson Blair, for example, cut corners constantly to get ahead in the industry. He was found at fault for plagiarism and fabrication.

The case with Jayson Blair is interesting because he apologized for fabricating stories and interviews and he showed extreme remorse, but he will never be trusted to write stories again. Blair actually wrote a book explaining his remorse and apologizing for those who he had hurt, but he is still seen as a liar in the industry.

So, how do we begin to gain the trust of readers when their view of journalists is shattered? How do we regain this trust when we have been called the "enemy of the people" by the President of the United States?

We start by reporting only what is true and is backed up by outside sources. Being transparent is not new. It has always been seen as one of the most important aspects of journalism. Trust in the media has never been as low as it is today.

How can we fix this? We can hold ourselves accountable for the stories we publish, and before that, we can fully research the information we are given and find other information backing that up. We need to speak the truth and we need to be responsible, as doing so gives us power.

The primary way to build this trust is to be transparent. If a mistake is made, admit it and own up to it. Tell readers that you made an error, fix it, and move on. Do not continue to live a lie until the truth is revealed, because it will be. The truth always gets out, and the only way to avoid the same situation that Jayson Blair found himself in is to admit when you are wrong, accept it, admit it, and move on. Hiding behind mistakes and not owning up to them immediately is what will kill a journalist's career.

Courtesy of therezesays.wordpress.com