[LINK] Journalistic due diligence and ethics.

[Nick Ross]

I've been involved in so many media ethics debates that I've created my own
rule which has yet to be challenged:

All journalistic ethics debates boil down to someone drawing a line in the
sand and telling everyone on the other side that they are wrong.

The only defence (ever) is to say: What did I write that was wrong?

Of course, not everyone likes dealing with articles that are several
thousand words long in order to back up every single thing being said. But
still, if you give a journo a load of arbitrary rules to follow they
usually focus on ticking off those rules above all else.

N




On 20 March 2012 09:18, David Boxall <david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au> wrote:

> Perversions perpetrated by those at war with climate science are one
> thing; lazy journalism is quite another.
>
> > When and (sic) environmental lobby group claims that a major government
> policy is based on junk science, shouldn't journalists ask questions?
> <http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3458728.htm>
>
> Holmes generously describes the Australian Environment Foundation as
> sceptics, yet Dr Marohasy sees fit to implicitly threaten him.
> > It appears Media Watch is contemplating asserting or implying that my
> professional judgement and integrity as a scientist has been influenced or
> corrupted by personal financial gain.
> In my experience, such behaviour is consistent with guilt.
>
> > We are saying that journalists too easily swallow, and pass on without
> challenge, highly controversial claims put forward in the name of science,
> by organisations whose agendas aren't obvious from their names.
>
> By contrast, /This American Life/ voluntarily published a full
> retraction when it found that one of its reporters had fabricated
> evidence
> <
> http://theconversation.edu.au/what-this-american-lifes-retraction-can-teach-us-about-the-finkelstein-report-5907
> >.
>
> > “At all times, we report for our readers and listeners, not our sources.
> So our primary consideration when presenting the news is that we are fair
> to the truth. If our sources try to mislead us or put a false spin on the
> information they give us, we tell our audience.”
>
> --
> David Boxall                    |  My figures are just as good
>                                |  as any other figures.
> http://david.boxall.id.au       |  I make them up myself, and they
>                                |  always give me innocent pleasure.
>                                |                     --HL Mencken
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