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Writing news and features triggers several considerations
both for maintaining professional journalistic standards and
for integrating faith perspectives into writing. Professional
journalistic standards--at least in the model as practiced
in the west--include the following considerations:
- all reports of facts and controversy
should follow the two-source rule
sources should be identified
- reports should be fair in their treatment
of controversy
- people should be allowed to speak
for themselves whenever possible
- reports should avoid libel (defamation)
- reporting should not invade people's
privacy
- the goal of journalism should be
to ascertain and report the truth on significant public
issues
- sensationalism should be avoided
- interpretation should be kept separate
from other people's stories
include the 5 "w"s in all stories (who, what,
why, when, where) along with how.
Although this is not the place to
provide a full exploration of these
basic requirements
for journalism,
it will
be useful to provide some commentary
on these issues.
Journalistic Writing for Radio
the two source rule: Any single source for a story can be
wrong or self-serving. Journalists therefore follow a two-source
rule that requires that they seek confirmation or corroboration
before they publish a story. Confirmation refers to seeking
a second source on factual material and corroboration refers
to seeking a second or even third source when reporting accusations
or claims and when reporting on controversial issues. In western
legal systems following this rule can avoid accusations of
negligence.
attribution: when
individuals are quoted, their statements should be attributed
(or credited) to them. In other words,
they should be identified. Although it is sometimes done,
journalists should avoid quoting anonymous sources or using
attributions
such as "highly placed sources," "sources close
to the Prime Minister," or "an administration official." Journalists
should seek to quote news sources "on the record" to
avoid accusations of bias and to allow listeners to decide
for themselves whether the sources used are credible (believable)
and knowledgeable about the topics being discussed.
fairness: fairness
means that, when there are two or more sides in a dispute,
that the report presents all of them. This
does not mean necessarily an equal amount of time is given
to all sides, but that all sides are reported sufficiently
and in an unbiased manner so that the audience has the
opportunity to weight alternative points of view.
who speaks: in radio news and feature work, if quality
actuality is available, as a general rule it should be
used. Stories
should be written to tape, allowing the tape (actuality)
to be the centerpiece, with the reporter providing the
context for the audience to understand the tape. It is
preferable
to
have sources speak for themselves rather than having
reporters or news writers put words in their mouths.
avoiding defamation: you defame people when you lower
their standing in the community, or damage their reputation
in
the eyes of others. Associating people with organizations
of low
repute, when they are not members or sympathizers with
such organizations, would defame them. So would accusing
them
of committing a crime before they have been convicted
of it or
of accusing them of dishonesty in their business, trade
or profession. Anything that, in a given community,
would lower
a person's reputation would be defamation.
invasions of privacy: while
defamation concerns the change in a person's public status,
invasions of privacy have to do
with a person's sense of self. If, as a result of
a report, a person feels diminished in some way, then it
may be that
his or her privacy has been invaded. As one United
States supreme court justice wrote, privacy is the most fundamental
right,
that which secures all other civil or human rights.
What should be avoided are reports that reduce people's humanity
(by stereotyping
them, for instance), reports that expose private
behaviors that have no effect on public interest to public
scrutiny,
or reports that exploit a person for financial gain.
If a person commits a crime privately, that does have public
interest repercussions
as it affects public safety. It could be reported.
But those behaviors that a person otherwise conducts in his
or her own
home are generally considered private.
ascertaining & reporting the truth: journalists
should do their best to determine the truth on any matter
of public
interest and then report it. They should also do
that reporting in a context that makes it meaningful. Engaging
in "he
said, she said" reports does not get at the
truth even if it fairly reports the parties' claims.
Determining who is
telling the truth, however, by probing, investigation,
or corroboration begins to discharge the journalist's
obligation to society.
sensationalism: there are pressures to report gruesome
details or juicy gossip, and pressures to explore
the seamy side
of life, in order to build audiences. Pandering
to these pressures
exploits the people for whom they are intended--the
audience. It appeals to their basest (or most
sinful) qualities.
It does not elevate or lead people toward the
light. It should
be avoided.
interpretation & other's stories: let people
tell their own stories. Then write to that tape.
If you must tell other's
stories, make sure to say when you are quoting,
make it clear when your are paraphrasing, and
keep the story telling separate
from your own interpretation of it. Not doing
so exploits the person whose story you tell.
It puts you in the center of the
story rather than him or her.
the five "w"s: this
is the who, what, why, when and where of journalism. Who
is the main character of the story.
What is the plot--what did s/he do? Why is
the motive. When is the time and where is the place that
the plot unfolded.
All five of these should be reported, along
with "how." How
did the person do it? How did they make it
work?
There is additional information in the
PowerPoint presentations that you can view by clicking on
these three links. I have used these presentations to do
workshops on radio journalism with Christian radio producers
in Albania and Mongolia.
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