The Latest: Loathing the media; Why local news startups die; ‘The most important photography you’ll make’

July 28, 2022

■ 'As long as it has existed, the right has loathed the news media. Figures like Joe McCarthy and Nixon press secretary Ron Ziegler used the tactic of pointing to alleged media bias to discredit reporting that challenged their lies. But, as David Freedlander noted, the right’s war on independent media is reaching a new stage of blanket refusal to acknowledge its legitimacy.’ (New York) / ’Side note on this debate about GOP engagement w the press: Convening power for television interviewing is dead . It was slowly dying for more than a decade and now no longer exists. Nobody has the power to compel a politician to do a challenging interview… I say this as somebody who has tried repeatedly to get a one-on-one interview with Joe Biden. He won’t do it. And there’s no convening power on planet earth that could compel him to do an interview that his advisers deem to be unsafe. This is of course true of many politicians.' (Jonathan Swan)

■ How local journalists proved a 10-year-old’s abortion wasn’t a hoax (Washington Post)

■ Gannett newsrooms making steady progress in overall diversity (USA TODAY) / The hard truth about hiring in news (Poynter)

■ I shuttered my own news startup. Here’s what journalism should learn from my experience. (Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media) / ‘I’ve wondered if I could have done more . What if I’d stood on street corners and passed out flyers? Learned to play the violin and sat in downtown Greenwood on my off hours, collecting tips to support the news? Done GoFundMe or spaghetti dinner fundraisers?’ (The Delaware Independent)

■ Scoop: Facebook officially cuts funding for US news publishers (Axios) / Will Facebook changes leave news media out in the cold? (Columbia Journalism Review) / 🚨Instagram walks back its changes (Casey Newton)

■ ‘This is the most important photography you'll make . This needs to be remembered. I don't want anyone to ever forget this day.’ (Space.com)

■ Opinion: The Zelenskyys are in Vogue. That makes them smart , not silly. (Washington Post)

■ ABC, CNN lead the 2022 news and documentary Emmy award nominations (The Wrap)

■ ‘That was a scandal ’: Ken Auletta condemns NBC’s ‘outrageous’ handling of Ronan Farrow’s Weinstein story (Mediaite)

■ 97-year-old reporter in Denver City started new era in news 76 years ago (KCBD)

■ Christopher Shea, Washington Post editor, dies at 53 (Washington Post)

Press freedom

■ ’Biden recently met with the families of Austin Tice, detained in Syria since 2012, and Trevor Reed, who was recently released from Russia in a prisoner exchange. Families say the media attention thrust on both cases, along with that of basketball star Brittney Griner, detained in Russia on drug charges, are bringing public awareness to an issue that for so many years has been lost in the news cycle.’ (ABC News)

■ 'A relative of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh said the Biden administration's top diplomat refused her face-to-face appeal to push for a full U.S. investigation into the killing of the veteran television correspondent.' (AP via VOA)

■ Russian TV journalist fined over Ukraine comments (News agencies via Al Jazeera)

A question of ethics: How long do you give a source to respond?

By Aly Colón

Bloomberg News recently retracted a story accusing some Fox News executives and hosts of failing to hand over documents in a lawsuit.

In seeking comment regarding the story, Bloomberg News gave Fox News 18 minutes to respond before publication, according to a Fox News spokesperson quoted by Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple.

Journalists seek to publish stories as quickly as they can when they perceive them to be important and timely. We do so for many reasons. Sometimes, news organizations believe the sooner the public knows, the better. For many journalists, it also feels great to beat the competition.

But speed also results in danger.

Moving too quickly may make it harder to ensure you got the facts straight. Also, the source you seek for confirmation may need more time to get their facts right. Sometimes, the source might hope to delay making the news public until they are prepared to respond or have a better response.

In thinking how fast we decide to publish, we might consider the interstate highway speed limits.

When driving through Utah, or Wyoming, for example, the wide, open view of landscape seems to extend forever. Freeway speed limits: 80 mph. In New York, speed tops out at 65 mph. Higher speeds are set when everything is clearly in view. Slower speeds occur when more caution is needed and danger increases.

So, what ethical questions might we consider when determining how much time we allow a source to respond:

Why are we seeking a response from those we are reporting on?
Are we checking a box or is our journalistic purpose to seek new information that could influence the story’s direction?
Are we seeking a response to confirm, deny, explain, or add depth to the story?
Based on our purpose, what is a reasonable amount of time to give the source to respond? How do you determine that?
What will the response, or lack of one, mean for public understanding about the story’s subject?
How important is the speed with which we get the information out to the public?
Will the public face danger if we fail to get the information out expeditiously?
How long can, or should, we wait? How will the amount of time affect the story’s impact?
Do we have enough verification to publish without a response?

POLL: How long do you typically give a source to respond before publication?

An hour or two

About a day

Several days or more

It depends on the story and/or the source

What other questions might you ask before deciding how long to give a source to comment? Email me your suggestions.

Aly Colón is the Knight Professor of Media Ethics in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Washington and Lee University.

Manager's Minute: What’s your best advice for introverted leaders?

Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow, on strategies for introverted leaders.

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Get more career advice: Read Jill's columns | Watch Manager's Minute videos

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