On The Importance Of Journalistic Standards and Good Practices

List your sources and Fact-check your claims 

Your credibility as a journalist is based on the ability to verify and fact-check your sources. Misinformation can cause harm to parties involved, so it’s crucial to cross check them with factual evidence whilst maintaining transparency by referencing them. 

Be honest and transparent

Honesty in journalism is to not omit key details or misrepresent evidence. Ensure that your readers know who you are and avoid talking about yourself in the third person, and disclose your interests, when they are relevant to the article being written.

Separate opinion from facts and reporting

News articles should clearly distinguish the opinion of the journalist from the reported facts. Clarity in this distinction helps avoid misinformation and sensationalism, and fosters critical thinking in the readers.

Respect privacy and sensitivity

Whilst it’s recommended to list sources and fact-check them it’s as important to respect the privacy of sources who have been promised secrecy or anonymity for their disclosures or comments.

Correct your errors 

Whenever new facts emerge which alter the overall conclusions of a report, or a statement is shown to be false after the publication of an article, a journalist must ensure to correct their articles or retract them, and disclose that rectification or retraction to the readers. This ensures that mistakes, which are bound to happen, don’t become sources of permanent misinformation. 

Respect Privacy and Sensitivity

Whilst Freedom of the Press protects you from censorship, it doesn’t protect you from the consequences of inciting violence or engaging in harassment, or hateful speech. Use your platform and your voice responsibly.  

Ensure fairness in coverage 

Absolute neutrality is impossible, fairness requires representing multiple opinions or perspectives. It’s recommended to give a voice to different narratives to shape a well rounded and fair narrative, and disclose one’s own biases in the topic.

Serve the public interest

Good journalism prioritizes informing Redmontians rather than catering to political or economic agendas. 

As mentioned before, journalistic pieces have a big impact on the narrative and perception of the world of your readers. Making it important for journalists to follow these journalistic standards and good practices to ensure credibility, trust and responsible sharing of knowledge. Furthermore, disregarding these guidelines could cause long term damage to our democracy rather than preserving it.