Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the news stories they read, hear and watch are frequently inaccurate, according to a poll released Sunday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Plus, just 29% believed news reports had the facts straight. The term "news media" was inclusive -- it counted bloggers and reporters employed by newspapers and broadcasters. The stats, from 1,506
adults, were compiled in late July. Worth noting: 63% thought the media info reported was off-base -- up from 53% in 2007.
I've always found the media bias against blogger accuracy - including the jab in this brief - amusing in light of the fact that in every case where a news article or report happened to be about something I was familiar with, it was wrong, often remarkably wrong, even in broad details. Blogging, on the other hand, is 95% opinion pieces to begin with, and in the case of actual news such as realtime tweets about the los angeles fires. misinformation is quickly replaced by a preponderance of correction simply because so many more people are involved in the fact checking process by virtue of also being there where the news is happening. If the reports are erroneous when I know the details, I must assume they are equally erroneous even when I don't.
Citizen journalism and the true free press will always deliver superior accounts when compared to the typical pay-incentivized, dressed up, disinterested and initially 100% uninformed reporter. The belief that somehow simply having a journalism degree and/or being incentivized by pay makes them superior reporters to someone who does not when it comes to simply delivering the accurate truth is an elitist, 19th century view that in itself sems to encourage inaccuracy and laxness from the corporate journalist.
"Get your facts straight"... or prepare to get pasted.
Probably the best thing a journalist can do for their story is get the facts down accurately and then get the facts from both sides. Whatever you write or say has to check out. There's no store out there where you can buy your reputation or credibility. You have to earn it every day.