I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge news-watcher/reader. Usually, when news comes my way, it has to be pretty major to even take my notice. When it does, whether or not I take it all with a pinch of salt depends on the individual story. If it's a story about a major political figure doing something awful, I usually dismiss it completely. If it's a story about a soldier's death or a natural disaster, you can bet its been fact checked.
As stated before, the article about Stephen Harper(political figure) and the communion wafer being pocketed(doing something awful) made me a little skeptical for two reasons. The first reason is that Stephen Harper is currently an individual who some people love to hate, and the second reason is the headline of such a story seems overly sensational to the point of ridiculousness, sounding more like idle gossip you would overhear than a newspaper story.
The article about "Jimmy" on the other hand was nothing less than shocking. It's a story that appeals greatly to human nature and sympathy, and calling it fake would basically make you a monster. Janet Cooke used this weakness of society to put out a story that was ironclad to all but the most stonehearted of skeptics, and for once, the skeptics were right. The fact that a Pulitzer Prize was awarded to a pack of lies is nothing less than disgusting.
I believe that Shafer's assertion is accurate in part. Almost every lie is made for personal gain, whether it be absolution from responsibility or gain of power. In this age, where knowledge is power, information that you have created is extremely easy to use for your own ends. It's easier to invent a story than discover one. Because of this, in university level journalism courses, one thing that must be highly emphasized is ethics. It must be ingrained into the minds of future journalists every day that they must never fabricate the news.
When issues of these ethics arise, an ombudsman is absolutely necessary to ensure that the paper maintains its credibility. If a paper's credibility is destroyed, the paper is destroyed. An ombudsman can make or break the paper's future. The ombudsman can make that connection with the public that can make all the difference in the world. If an ombudsman makes sure that the paper responds to public complaints about the errors/falsehoods in the newspaper, it can save the newspaper from being absolutely dismissed by the public.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Is it Newsworthy?
Baghdad Church Siege Kills 52
Timing 4/4
This story is an example of lightning fast information gathering. The attack began at dusk on Sunday, and after a four hour hostage situation, quick, perhaps even hasty action was taken against the terrorists holding the occupants of the church. The story was posted at 8:18 the next morning.
Significance 4/4
A story like this is always enormously significant, even when the death toll is low. This time however, it was not. While the actual total of the dead is not yet certain, at least 52 have died due to the attack, and 67 have been wounded. Also certain is that a priest and 10 policemen were among the dead. For these reasons, the significance is very high.
Proximity 3/4
While the story did occur far from what Canadians would consider "home", many Canadians who are Roman Catholic will most likely feel a strong connection to this story, as the act of terrorism was not against individuals, but against their beliefs.
Prominence 4/4
The Pope publicly denounced the attack, drawing the eyes of Catholics everywhere to this tragedy. The Pope is and was a major figure in current society and throughout history, elevating this story in prominence considerably.
Human Interest 4/4
This story practically defines human interest. Stories of violent terrorism always appear to the sense of humanity, and this one is especially violent and horrible with such a high death toll.
Munsch Book Contest Won by Labrador Town
Timing 2/4
The story is relatively new, although the contest to decide where the book would take place has been going on for months. Also, the book will probably not be published for a while, perhaps months, and the author is not scheduled to visit the town until next May.
Significance 2/4
Robert Munsch is a beloved Canadian author, and to many who enjoyed his books as children and later as parents will be affected by the story. However, to the poeple who did not, the story will little to no meaning.
Proximity 3/4
The contest is Canadian based, won by a small Canadian town, and concerns a Canadian author. The story is extremely close to home, giving it good proximity.
Prominence 2/4
Munsch is an author who is known worldwide for his children's books, but as far as celebrities go, he is not very significant. While he is loved dearly by his audience(the contest drew a total of 150,000 votes), his level of fame is not high enough to warrant a high mark for prominence.
Human Interest 1/4
The story is really only interesting to Munsch fans, and even to them, the result would probably only bring a smile for a few moments.
Total newsworthiness mark: 10/20.
Indonesian volcano erupts for 3rd time in week
Timing 4/4
This story is quite timely because for the 3rd time in one week alone, the volcano has erupted. The eruption happened early Monday morning, and seeing how it is 11:52 Monday morning right now, this is a good testament to its timeliness.
Significance 4/4
38 people have been killed by the volcanic eruptions already, and if it keeps erupting, the number of deaths will most likely continue. Also significant is the tsunami at the other end of the country which has killed 450 people.
Proximity 1/4
The story has virtually nothing to do with Canada, and as such has a low proximity. Even the concept is fairly foreign, as modern-day Canadians have seen very little(comparatively) in the way of natural disasters.
Prominence 3/4
Natural disasters are always prominent, and this one is no different. The misfortune of the country experiencing two different natural disasters at once is strange and thus brings the story prominence.
Human Interest 4/4
The number of deaths and the pure misfortune that the country is experiencing is more than its fair share of tragedy gives this story great human interest. People are always interested in the tragedy of others, and love to feel empathy towards people who are downtrodden.
Total newsworthiness mark: 16/20
Alcohol Ranked Most Harmful Drug
Timing 2/4
This story is a story of research, and because research is typically done in a period of weeks, months, or even years, this severely detracts from the overall timing of the story. However, at any time, someone around the world is drinking alcohol, thus giving it a fair score in terms of timing.
Significance 4/4
As stated before, there will always be someone somewhere who is drinking some kind of alcoholic beverage. This makes this discovery extremely significant, and because it basically effects everyone, its significance is absolute.
Proximity 4/4
Alcohol is a part of most lifestyles, and as such, a part of society. Prohibition certainly does not exist in Canada, and most likely never will. Since this is such a part of society, and society defines the country, alcohol is important to Canadians.
Prominence 2/4
The research study gives us important information, but really nothing earth shaking. The study calls to the surface a fact that most people already knew; alcohol is everywhere, and it can most certainly be destructive.
Human Interest 4/4
We all know people who are destroying themselves with drink. We all know people who have alcoholism and are obviously affected by it. Alcohol kills many people every year through drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, and it can destroy families as well. The human interest in this story is universal.
Total newsworthiness mark: 16/20
Timing 4/4
This story is an example of lightning fast information gathering. The attack began at dusk on Sunday, and after a four hour hostage situation, quick, perhaps even hasty action was taken against the terrorists holding the occupants of the church. The story was posted at 8:18 the next morning.
Significance 4/4
A story like this is always enormously significant, even when the death toll is low. This time however, it was not. While the actual total of the dead is not yet certain, at least 52 have died due to the attack, and 67 have been wounded. Also certain is that a priest and 10 policemen were among the dead. For these reasons, the significance is very high.
Proximity 3/4
While the story did occur far from what Canadians would consider "home", many Canadians who are Roman Catholic will most likely feel a strong connection to this story, as the act of terrorism was not against individuals, but against their beliefs.
Prominence 4/4
The Pope publicly denounced the attack, drawing the eyes of Catholics everywhere to this tragedy. The Pope is and was a major figure in current society and throughout history, elevating this story in prominence considerably.
Human Interest 4/4
This story practically defines human interest. Stories of violent terrorism always appear to the sense of humanity, and this one is especially violent and horrible with such a high death toll.
Total newsworthiness mark: 19/20
Munsch Book Contest Won by Labrador Town
Timing 2/4
The story is relatively new, although the contest to decide where the book would take place has been going on for months. Also, the book will probably not be published for a while, perhaps months, and the author is not scheduled to visit the town until next May.
Significance 2/4
Robert Munsch is a beloved Canadian author, and to many who enjoyed his books as children and later as parents will be affected by the story. However, to the poeple who did not, the story will little to no meaning.
Proximity 3/4
The contest is Canadian based, won by a small Canadian town, and concerns a Canadian author. The story is extremely close to home, giving it good proximity.
Prominence 2/4
Munsch is an author who is known worldwide for his children's books, but as far as celebrities go, he is not very significant. While he is loved dearly by his audience(the contest drew a total of 150,000 votes), his level of fame is not high enough to warrant a high mark for prominence.
Human Interest 1/4
The story is really only interesting to Munsch fans, and even to them, the result would probably only bring a smile for a few moments.
Total newsworthiness mark: 10/20.
Indonesian volcano erupts for 3rd time in week
Timing 4/4
This story is quite timely because for the 3rd time in one week alone, the volcano has erupted. The eruption happened early Monday morning, and seeing how it is 11:52 Monday morning right now, this is a good testament to its timeliness.
Significance 4/4
38 people have been killed by the volcanic eruptions already, and if it keeps erupting, the number of deaths will most likely continue. Also significant is the tsunami at the other end of the country which has killed 450 people.
Proximity 1/4
The story has virtually nothing to do with Canada, and as such has a low proximity. Even the concept is fairly foreign, as modern-day Canadians have seen very little(comparatively) in the way of natural disasters.
Prominence 3/4
Natural disasters are always prominent, and this one is no different. The misfortune of the country experiencing two different natural disasters at once is strange and thus brings the story prominence.
Human Interest 4/4
The number of deaths and the pure misfortune that the country is experiencing is more than its fair share of tragedy gives this story great human interest. People are always interested in the tragedy of others, and love to feel empathy towards people who are downtrodden.
Total newsworthiness mark: 16/20
Alcohol Ranked Most Harmful Drug
Timing 2/4
This story is a story of research, and because research is typically done in a period of weeks, months, or even years, this severely detracts from the overall timing of the story. However, at any time, someone around the world is drinking alcohol, thus giving it a fair score in terms of timing.
Significance 4/4
As stated before, there will always be someone somewhere who is drinking some kind of alcoholic beverage. This makes this discovery extremely significant, and because it basically effects everyone, its significance is absolute.
Proximity 4/4
Alcohol is a part of most lifestyles, and as such, a part of society. Prohibition certainly does not exist in Canada, and most likely never will. Since this is such a part of society, and society defines the country, alcohol is important to Canadians.
Prominence 2/4
The research study gives us important information, but really nothing earth shaking. The study calls to the surface a fact that most people already knew; alcohol is everywhere, and it can most certainly be destructive.
Human Interest 4/4
We all know people who are destroying themselves with drink. We all know people who have alcoholism and are obviously affected by it. Alcohol kills many people every year through drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, and it can destroy families as well. The human interest in this story is universal.
Total newsworthiness mark: 16/20
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