CHECKING AND DOUBLE-CHECKING THE FACTS

News reporting often happens quickly. When an event occurs, people may hear about it first on social media− Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, for instance. Journalists must balance the need to get a story out quickly to readers, while making sure the facts they report are accurate. For most news organizations, accuracy wins every time. For the Toronto Star, accuracy is the top item in its “journalism standards” policy. “Being accurate means verifying information before publishing and correcting mistakes when they happen,” says Kathy English, who recently stepped down as Public Editor after serving in the position for 13 years. As Public Editor, she handled readers’ questions about reporting and made sure that everything the Star publishes meets its high standards for accuracy. She says that her job was to explain journalism to readers and the concerns of readers to journalists. When someone questions something in an article, English talked to Star reporters and editors to make sure that the facts in their article were been gathered in a way that is ethical and accurate. If she found out that something was incorrect, she made sure it was corrected quickly. “We hear from 1,000 people and deal with more than 350 issues a month. Last year, we published more than 1,200 corrections,” said English. Journalists gather information for news articles in three main ways: interviewing people, reading information from another source (research) and observing it with their own eyes. English says the Star makes sure its reporting is “radically transparent.” That means every journalist must be able to explain why they reported a fact, how they gathered it and why they believe it is accurate. For instance, when a reporter interviews someone, they must always be skeptical about what the person is telling them and not take it at face value. Good reporters ask questions to draw out the correct information. And when a reporter is using a written source, like a scientific study, to get facts for an article, it is their job to ensure that source is accurate and reliable. Whether readers get their news from the Star or another source, it’s important that the people who have reported that news can be trusted to provide accurate information. “A trusted news organization operates from clearly stated ethical principles,” says English. If a member of the public isn’t satisfied with the response to their concern from the Public Editor’s office, they can take it to the National NewsMedia Council, which looks further into the reporting to determine whether it was fair and accurate. As of July 1, Bruce Campion-Smith, veteran Toronto Star reporter, has taken over the role of Public Editor.

Being accurate means verifying information before publishing and correcting mistakes when they happen