Journalists Must Expose, Not Perpetuate, Bogus News

[Newsjock]

Source: Poynter Online

Who knows how much bad information travel around the Internet on any given day. But when professional newsrooms become part of the problem, misinformation elevates from an annoyance to a danger to democracy.

... If you examine the anatomy of a hoax, three clear places emerge where professional newsrooms must rise to their duty to vet every piece of information they pass along.

Creating the information. Whether information is created with malice, by misguided intentions or by journalistic malpractice, newsrooms should have systems to prevent them from publishing inaccurate information. Even before the cheating husband scandal was revealed, The Washington Post reported that the story was suspect.

Believing the information. Hoaxes only work when gullible people believe them. We must build a society in which a critical mass of people have the skill and confidence to call certain information bunk, whether it's the latest Bigfoot sighting or continued speculation that President Barack Obama is not an American citizen.

... Passing it along. The cult of novelty is upon us. The speed at which information can be passed along (hastened by social media) has created a world in which everyone wants to be the guy who says, "Hey, look at this!" Regardless of how many journalists have been laid off, or how much you must boost your Web site traffic, professional newsrooms have to resist the urge to descend into this morass.

Read more: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=67&aid=169508