Tips for the new journalist | Editorial

Published 9:19 am Wednesday, August 29, 2012

For me, watching the growth and progress of the citizen journalist phenomenon has been a mixture of optimism and healthy reservation.

A historian and author whose blog I follow has remarked repeatedly how the Internet has affected access to information and publishing greater than any other invention in history, including the Gutenberg press.

Practically anyone with access to the Internet can create their own blog for free and write about whatever they wish to, with access to an audience unheard of in any other prior time.

Among such creations is the emergence of the citizen journalist — people who have no background in journalism or direct ties to a media outlet or organization who report on what is going on around them on Facebook, blogs, websites and YouTube.

While many elitists in the media scoff at the uneducated “peasant press” who comprise these type of journalists and reporters, I personally see it as an added protection against encroachments on civil liberties. Before, a government could control practically all of its citizens’ access to information through the press. Now, it is virtually impossible to do so. This type of journalism also allows subjects or issues to be covered that regular journalists can’t cover due to limited resources or because they simply don’t hear about it.

At the same time, however, since most citizen journalists have no formal education in journalism, they often have trouble differentiating between blogging and reporting.

They also don’t have a firm grasp of journalism ethics or their state laws, which gets them into trouble when they interview or quote people.

Several weeks ago, I read a story about an activist journalist in New Hampshire who was charged with three felony counts of wiretapping.

After videotaping a possible incident of excessive use of force by a school liaison officer at a high school, he called up both the police department and the school for comment on it. During the interviews, he videotaped himself, which included audio recording.

The problem is, New Hampshire, like Washington, has an all party consent law, which requires all parties in a telephone conversation to consent to a recording.

After the journalist posted the videos on YouTube with the interviews, he was later charged for wiretapping. Had he simply written down their statements and typed them up, he would have been fine.

In the interest of helping citizen journalists out there get started, here are a few recommendations before you proceed.

1. Protect yourself legally

A mainstream reporter has no more rights than any ordinary person when it comes to what they write or publish. The difference, however, is that a reporter’s education, and their editors, tells them what they can or cannot say. The First Amendment gives you freedom of speech and press, but that does not give you the ability to infringe on another person’s rights by writing whatever you want about them. You are entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts.

For example, a blogger in Oregon, while writing about a land use issue, accused an attorney of committing tax fraud. The attorney sued and won. The fact that she posted it online didn’t help. You may be posting it online, but legally it’s the same as though you published it in a newspaper.

Before you write a single sentence, study journalism ethics thoroughly. Know the difference between libel as well as defamation of character (slander, too, if you plan to video tape yourself then post it to YouTube) and how you can avoid it. Study Supreme Court cases like New York Times v. Sullivan that pertain to public officials as opposed to “limited purpose public figures.”

For example, you have a wider latitude to criticize public officials or figures than private citizens. When writing stories involving a possible crime, everything is “according to” or “allegedly” unless it has been proven in a court of law. Read up on your state’s laws on telephone recording or, if you’re a video/photo journalist, know that in three states it is now illegal to record any on-duty police officer. Save all your notes from interviews. Document everything.

If in doubt about an issue, you can also check out the Poynter Institute’s website where the staff occasionally post answers to questions journalists have. Traditional media organizations and groups like the Reporters Committee and Society of Professional Journalists can also be of help.

2. If you plan to report by writing about a topic, practice before you do it for real.

Journalism writing is not blogging. It has its own style thanks to the Associated Press and, depending on the story, a different lead. You don’t necessarily have to follow AP style, but if you aren’t a natural writer, practice before you actual begin reporting. Analyze newspaper stories, not so much in terms of the content but in how the story itself is written. Understand how to write a story inverted pyramid or with a nut graf. Much of my own skills as a reporter developed from years of reading the newspaper in the morning as a kid. By the time I got to high school I knew how to mimic the style without much assistance or explanation. It can take a while to get used to, so practice by writing stories that you don’t intend to publish, or role play interviews with friends and family on the phone or in person in order to enhance your note-taking ability.

Also, before you publish anything, have someone else read it. It’s amazing what mistakes or corrections a person can spot with fresh eyes.

3. Check, double check and triple check for accuracy

There’s an old saying in journalism: If your mother says she loves you, check it out. Do the same with any facts you put in your stories. Confirm any factual assertions with original sources. Don’t accept something posted in another story unless it can be verified through another source.

If in doubt about a quote you want to use, call up the person to verify you quoted them or summarized their remarks accurately.

The mark of a good reporter is one who rarely has to correct an error.

If you don’t understand an issue, particularly a controversial one, contact experts who aren’t necessarily involved in the particular case who can offer unbiased explanations.

If you’re still in doubt, don’t post. Just don’t do it.

4. Be as professional as possible

Because of the perception people have of bloggers, they aren’t as concerned about their conduct or what they write since it is inferred to be the writer’s opinion. But if you claim to be a reporter, activist or not, you will be expected to adhere to the same ethics as a traditional reporter. The reason why is because a blogger states an opinion, whereas a reporter claims authority as news or a source of information.

There is nothing wrong with expressing your opinion in a story based around facts you have gathered or through interviews conducted. That’s what columnists do.

But throwing in inflammatory rhetoric and/or unnecessary attacks is lazy and demonstrates a lack of restraint on the part of the writer.