|
Journalism carries a big responsibility
Commentary by Theresa Serephim
When readers open a newspaper,
or turn on a TV, they expect
what they see and read will be
fair and accurate. They expect it
will be as current as possible,
too.
Journalists, including editors,
have a huge responsibility to ensure
this is so.
All this was brought to mind
by a news story about former
Edmonton Sun journalist Kerry
Diotte, who is suing the newspaper
for $2.28 million, claiming a
situation with his editor and subsequent
dismissal led to his current
state of depression.
According to the suit, the editor
asked Diotte, head of the paper’s
legislative bureau, not to
rely so much on a particular
MLA as a source. When that
source came to Diotte with a big
story, Diotte skipped it, to obey
the editor’s wishes. When the
editor saw the story in a rival
newspaper, he called Diotte on
the carpet and demoted him to
general assignment reporter.
Shortly after that, Diotte left the
paper, citing humiliation and embarrassment
and saying he will
never be able to work as a journalist
again.
The statements of claim haven’t
been proven in court, which is
where a judge will decide if
Diotte’s suit is frivolous or
whether the editor was being
heavy-handed.
The point this brings out is
journalism is not always an easy
job.
People may slam the phone
down in a reporter’s ear or fail to
return calls, in which case a
journalist needs persistence to
get the story.
There are deadlines to be met,
so a journalist needs good time
management skills. Often, although
one would like to write
the story with perfect wording, it
has to go as is because it’s time
to submit it. Even if dreams of
awards are dancing in the head,
the editor needs the story so he
can put together the next edition.
Speaking of editors, they are
interesting to deal with. I’ve
worked for lots during my time
as a reporter and have learned
something from each one – and
not just in terms of journalism,
either. I have also been a community
newspaper editor, so I
have experienced the exhilaration
inherent in putting stories
together and making sure the reporter
has his or her items in,
and the satisfaction that results
when the newspaper is put to
bed.
Back to accuracy: there’s an
invention called a correction
which has saved many a journalist’s
hide. The phrase “to err is
human” applies very well to reporters,
since we do make mistakes.
Putting in a correction, or
at least calling the person involved
to apologize, lets people
know the reporter cares about
getting information correct. That
can go a long way to keeping
that relationship amicable, especially
in non-urban places where
there is a smaller number of
sources and a great likelihood of
the reporter running into the
person again and again.
Journalists also have to be
able to work independently and
be part of a team. There can be
competition between journalists,
and while this can promote each
person doing his or her best, it
can also increase stress and animosity
in the newsroom. The
best thing is to work together to
be better than others.
We believe it is worth the effort,
and we hope to be that kind
of journalist.
Previous
Home
Next >
|
