Rumours. Half Truths. Innuendoes.
Caption:Sam Fiest of CNN, speaking at a conference in UWI St. Augustine, March 2009
For journalists there is nothing quite like breaking news. It's the reason why they will cover a hurricane, go where there are bombs in bins, or stay put when others are fleeing in the the other direction.
Many will tell you that when their newsroom's telephone line buzzes with a lead that something dramatic is happening that the rest of the country doesn't know, editors are thrown into a frenzy. Their adrenalin gets going. Reporters get reassigned. Camera teams rush to the scene for the photo opportunity.
These are the moments that remind journalists why they got into the business in the first place.
But there is something else that journalists like more than breaking news. They like to be the first to give the public a scoop. But its in their eagerness to be the first, where reporters can be deadly wrong, causing all sorts lies, rumours and innuendoes to find traction like a bean seed in a heap of manure.
Take this week for instance.
On Wednesday, there were reports of a container full of children being found on the Port in
We later learned it was not, but not before the rumour was picked up and driven through several internet hungry channels.
At the University of the West Indies,
" Where was the evidence ?" he asked, "the information just seemed to be speculative and based on hearsay.
Feist said that at CNN there is a formulae for fact checking. Every morsel of news must have 2 sources. CNN disregards secondhand information if it cannot be verified from a direct source. They certainly don't go to news with rumours.
I am no defender of CNN, even they don't get it right all the time. In 2000, for instance, CNN pronounced to the world that Al Gore had won the
Without journalists democracies don't function and in our new social media world the role of an editor to corroborate, fact check and verify is crucial.
According to Feist, when it comes to the news, it is great to be first on the scene and the first to deliver the right news to the public. Yet if given a choice, Feist says he would rather be right than first.
http://www.mangomediacaribbean.com/blog/trackback.cfm?DB77B2D6-3048-2D03-0A1D782689E23D6E
Judette Coward Puglisi (MSc, Dip IR, BA), Managing Director. Find out more 
"The Media Association (MATT) views with concern and alarm the reports that were broadcast on Tuesday about a number of children being found in a container at the Port of Port of Spain.
The general public is already extremely nervous about the rampant crime that prevails.
Further, in recent weeks, stories about alleged human trafficking have been linked to reports—some accurate, some not—of children being abducted.
With modern methods of communication—the Internet, text messages and cell phones—both factual reports and baseless rumours can be spread faster than ever before.
The trend of what is referred to as “citizen journalism” also makes it easier for unconfirmed reports to be circulated rapidly by people who do not have the training or the experience to verify what they hear, and who may not realise the possible consequences of passing on such information.
MATT understands that these factors contribute to today’s highly competitive media environment, in which journalists feel under pressure to be first with the news.
Such unproven stories, however, are not merely intriguing, but may also cause further distress to those who may be affected, and also increase alarm among the public at large.
When these stories are later checked and are denied by the authorities, this undermines public confidence in the media.
Given the current climate, it is more important than ever for journalists to make certain of their information and to confirm it with a response from the relevant authorities before writing or broadcasting their stories.
However, despite the ambiguity surrounding this issue, we have a responsibility to set the record straight with our readers, listeners and viewers.
The public has the right to know the facts concerning this matter and in keeping with our responsibility we encourage investigation by media houses.
MATT urges its members and colleagues to act responsibly by ensuring that their reporting is accurate and balanced before releasing what may turn out to be highly damaging misinformation."