Accuracy in journalism

The foundation of journalistic trust and ethics

Media Helping Media

• Accuracy is the most important factor in journalism.
• Rule one is simple: get it right.
• Precision is at the heart of all journalism.
• If you cannot respect the absolute need for accuracy, journalism is not the career for you.

Mistakes, whether trivial or serious, have devastating effects:

• Loss of trust: Damaging the essential relationship with your audience.
• Legal risks: Potential for being sued or facing legal action.
• Societal impact: Risk of destroying reputations, triggering social unrest, or even crashing economies.

• Getting it right is always more important than being first.
• Time pressure is never an excuse for inaccuracy.
• Being first with the news offers no consolation if the report is wrong.
• There must be zero tolerance for mistakes in professional reporting.

• Knowing is not enough; a journalist must be able to prove their claims.
• Every fact must be supported by verifiable evidence.
• Journalists are responsible for the accuracy of everything in their story, regardless of the source.
• Do not repeat information from archives or the internet without independent verification.

Maintaining a trail of evidence protects the journalist:

• Keep scrupulously careful and legible notes.
• Save recordings and other evidence safely.
• Retaining records allows you to demonstrate accuracy if your reporting is ever challenged.
• The best reporters keep their notebooks for their entire careers.

• If you have doubts, attribute statements to the source rather than asserting them as fact.
• Never assume someone is telling the truth just because they said it.
• In breaking news, if information cannot yet be verified, attribute it clearly to the source.
• Transparency about what is and isn't confirmed helps maintain credibility.

• Journalists owe it to the people they report on to get personal details correct.
• Names, ages, and addresses must be absolutely right.
• Being casual with personal details is a sign of disrespect to the subject.
• Inaccurate personal data diminishes audience trust.

Accuracy is the foundation of all other journalistic ethics:

• Impartiality: Neutrality has no value if the underlying facts are wrong.
• Fairness: You cannot be fair to a subject if your reporting is inaccurate.
• No agenda: The journalist's role is to unearth and display information, not to fabricate or manipulate.

• [ ] Have you double-checked every single fact?
• [ ] Can you prove every claim with evidence or notes?
• [ ] Are personal details (names, ages) 100% correct?
• [ ] Have you attributed any unverified claims?
• [ ] Did you resist the urge to publish quickly at the expense of accuracy?