THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH
Journalists on different platforms share their side of the story when it comes to sharing information quickly and credibly.
JOURNALISM has evolved a fair bit in the last century. In the past, most people received the news from newspapers and from tuning in to news programmes on television or the radio.
As recently as in the 1980s, however, things began to change for us here in Malaysia. And many will remember huddling around the TV to watch live football matches and concerts, or election results unfolding in real time – the first live television signal was viewed in the United States, Canada and across Europe in 1962.
Since the advent of public Internet in 1991, more developments began to charge in and the way news was relayed quickly started to change. Today, most people do not have to wait an entire day for news updates, it takes only seconds for stories to travel all over the globe.
News also never sleeps. There are online sites, radio and TV programmes that run 24/7 and bloggers, vloggers, social media influencers, citizen journalists and content aggregator sites, all of which offer an abundance of news at our fingertips. In Malaysia, whether you are a traditional journalist who works for a newspaper or TV station, if you work for a modern-day online media aggregator, or if you are a regular blogger, the importance of credibility is what will make your news reliable. While many are given the freedom to express their views openly, this does not mean they should take the easy way out and shortchange readers on the truth. The freedom to speak does not equate with the freedom to lie.
Experienced local journalist Sujesh Pavithran shared that the Internet made things easier for reporters on a day-to-day basis, but at the same time, it has also demanded more from them.
“The Internet made it possible to communicate more speedily and check facts and figures on the move, instead of having to go to the office library or some government office to request information. If you have a laptop and/or a smartphone and an Internet connection, you can work from almost anywhere and save time on braving bad traffic or inclement weather. Time and information are among a reporter’s most precious commodities,” he said.
He added, “On the other hand, because of the technology and facilities made available by their employers, reporters, especially news reporters, don’t have the luxury of working on one story at a time; they are expected to multitask. They get sent from one assignment to another, without needing to return to office and need to find the space and time to file in stories or breaking snippets in between.
“Some media outfits also expect reporters to file photos along with stories. So there’s a lot of pressure, and reporters handle this differently – some make mistakes regularly because they’re trying to be speedy and slip up on accuracy, some get overwhelmed by the work and are overtaken by their competitors. Those that make the cut, they’re the ones that have clear and organised minds and who are as accurate as they are fast.”
The proliferation of information has also caused competition to spiral out of control. Instead of spending time to fact check and verify information, journalists are pressured to be the first to break a story and this mad rush often leads to misinformation.
He admits that in certain circumstances, a reporter’s work may be compromised. “They could be rushing in a story that has grammatical mistakes all over, but this can be handled by understanding editors. Better to have a story in fast, with all the facts right, than a flowery piece that comes in after every other competitor already has a story up online,” he said.
In principle, Sujesh said newspapers stick to strict fact-checking methods. “Their reputation for accuracy is one of their foundations. Occasionally, though, an adventurous editor may rely on his instincts or he/she may know something others don’t and may let through a story that has not been full fact-checked. When it’s only for online, you can always take down the story or retract it. There are still cracks in the system, yes ... but traditional media has more to lose than gain if they get caught regularly with inaccuracies.”
Sujesh brought up an even more challenging problem: the blurring of lines between work and nonwork hours.
He said: “If you have a website to feed, it’s 24/7. Print media have cutoffs but not the Internet ... you may have worked hard for 12 hours and are perhaps looking forward to a good night’s rest ... but if there’s a major breaking news event in your country at 1am, the bosses will be expecting you to be up and alert, ready to file stories or get moving. As a person who cut his teeth in print media as a reporter and later gathered some experience as an online news editor, I sometimes sympathise with reporters ... I’ve known some of them to go for days without proper sleep or meals.”
How have blogjournalists gers, citizen and news aggregator sites affected traditional media? Sujesh said in the initial stages, work was affected a great deal.
“However, many readers are wising up to the antics of these ‘alternative’ avenues of information. There was a time when bloggers thought they could get away with almost anything, so they would put up some sensational stuff without verifying, claiming to be informed by ‘sources’ ... and, of course, readers would lap up the juicy details.
“So, at first, we had readers going to these avenues and accusing traditional media of being too slow, too scared and too old-fashioned. Traditional media has, in recent times, upped its game without generally compromising on accuracy and readers have realised this. Many are beginning to appreciate credible/accurate information, especially in times of crisis ... like the one we’re going through now,” he added.
Yahoo Lifestyle South-East Asia editor-in-chief Reta Lee feels that accuracy, reliability and trust are the biggest challenges facing news and journalism today.
She said, “In the race to share information, misinformation spreads quickly because the content itself tends to be sensational. Journalism and trusted news reporting calls for professional production of quality, original content, developed by obtaining information from reliable sources through a transparent process. We have a civic duty to our readers to inform and educate which means our team at Yahoo is often racing against the clock to ensure we deliver credible, unbiased content that people can trust and rely on.”
In the world of online news and social media, timeliness and accuracy should not be considered dichotomous but rather in parallel.
Reta Lee
So, which is more important – fact-checking and verification, or getting the story out as fast as you can?
Lee said: “In the world of online news and social media, timeliness and accuracy should not be considered dichotomous, but rather in parallel.”
She feels that the fact that news spreads quickly emphasises the need for accuracy in the content that is produced, as any misinformation will spread like wildfire. “For a reader,” Lee said, “misinformation fuels anxiety and uncertainty and it is only natural that consumers are relying on trusted news sources right now, especially online, where their lives have moved since the Covid-19 crisis.
“The pandemic has put the spotlight back on trust and credible news. As a trusted online news site, fact-checking is paramount at Yahoo because we hold ourselves accountable to our readers. They look to us as a source that provides them with information and content that has been verified through reliable channels, for example checking with the source, quoting the wires and including official statements.”
Lee feels trust is an important asset in today’s world for any news and media outlet, or for any organisation for that matter.
“People have become more discerning about the information they consume and are learning more and more each day how to distinguish news sources they can trust to deliver the facts they need. This is an ongoing process that takes time as people learn to process realities that may not always align with their thinking or may challenge their beliefs. For journalists and news outlets, this means that we will have to stick to strict editorial guidelines to ensure only credible stories and fact-checked information is put out.”
Lee says that at Yahoo, they understand that credibility is the No. 1 demand among connected consumers, which is why they use their voice carefully and professionally.
“Apart from ensuring that we stick to the facts, we provide clear and precise context when using a verified quote or testimonial in the content that we produce. We actively hyperlink to credible third-party sources to transparently show our readers where we have obtained our information and research. These practices are what enable us to deliver trustworthy next-gen consumer and content experiences that help our audience connect to their passions.”
Even when it comes to blogging, contrary to popular opinion, many writers aim for a high level of professionalism and credibility.
What started out as a hobby for Nicholas Ng turned into a passionate project that he takes seriously.
“I have been a fine dining food journalist for over 15 years, and I started blogging four years ago ... it just came as a natural progression,” he shared, adding that as the editor for the online portal Food For Thought, he and his team of writers do not cut corners and make it a point to share news and views worth their salt.
He stated, “I never take news that is unchecked if I were to use it on my website. I never rush to push information into the public domain quickly. I find that too irresponsible.”
Food For Thought is an online portal for information on lifestyle essentials fine dining restaurant reviews, food guides, cocktail culture and luxury travel. Ng works with a team of editorial writers, journalists, marketing specialists and social media planners.
“We are not a tabloid or information portal as we specialise in fine dining and drink culture, so it’s never a question of rushing to get a piece of news out so quickly it can’t be verified. However, when we do share any news regarding our industry, we ensure that it comes straight from the horse’s mouth, if not, we do not publish it at all.”
One of Ng’s pet peeves is fake news. “I find it extremely irresponsible. Websites that consider themselves news outlets should be more accountable for the content they create and not just rely on clickbait articles just to get the numbers up. Fake or false content can cause panic and mislead those who are gullible. When it comes to our website, I am careful not to spread news that sounds dodgy. My personal motto is ... If it’s too good to be true, it most probably is,” he opined.