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2003 Reflections...
Introduction
Fasih Ahmed (Pakistan)
Maha Al-Azar (Lebanon)
Ana Flor (Brazil)
Laura Lica (Romania)
Sebastian Łupak (Poland)
Gideon Nkala (Botswana)
Surendra Phuyal (Nepal)
Tristana Santos (Ecuador)
Szabolcs Tóth (Hungary)
| Reflections on American Journalism
By Paola Ochoa
Reporter, Semana Magazine
Bogota, Colombia
Hosted by The Philadelphia Inquirer
When I came to this country five months ago, journalism was in the center of a great storm. Jayson Blair, the young journalist who fabricated and plagiarized dozens of stories at The New York Times, had not only humiliated a highly regarded publication, but the entire newspaper industry.
Meanwhile, during our Orientation Seminar in Washington D.C., Chris Callahan was teaching us the importance of accuracy and double-checking information.
Accuracy? Double-checking? It didn’t seem to me that spelling people’s names right had much to do with the scandal surrounding The Times.
Well, I was wrong.
It has everything to do with it. Checking information is the first step to honest and reliable journalism. In my country we usually don’t pay too much attention to these details. If you misspell a name, give a wrong title, quote someone saying something similar to what he or she said, it’s not a big deal.
Accuracy is not imperative in Colombia. Not even when it comes to people’s dignity and pain. A year ago, after a car-bomb explosion in one of the most exclusive clubs in Bogota, several reporters ran to the place and started giving the number of deaths without consulting the official sources. Minutes after the fire, radio and TV stations were giving random numbers. Some said that ten persons had died; others insisted it was twenty, or even thirty.
One of the most important things I’ve learned working at The Philadelphia Inquirer is that regardless of the importance or complexity of a story, journalists have to report on what they see and what they are able to confirm. Reporters must follow guidelines and never give speculation as fact.
The Inquirer’s coverage of the FBI bug in the mayor’s office was a good example of this. Despite all kinds of complications — the mayor was the subject of the federal investigation and there were conspiracy theories associated with racism — the newspaper stories remained neutral and impartial, in the face of an election that would set the course for the city for the next four years.
The Inquirer gave the public the information it needed to know, complete and straight. Editors were sure that any information released was accurate, in spite of the hardship and any moral questioning.
The paper’s coverage of the scandal made me realize that no matter how big a news story is, accuracy has to be maintained as the top priority in a story.
This is the first U.S. journalistic practice I intend to adapt at home. To do it, I will suggest the creation of an Ethics Code into our Stylebook — a chapter to declare the magazine’s principles and standards of practicing journalism in an ethical way.
- It should be a guide to guard the newsroom against inaccuracies, carelessness, bias, or distortion through either emphasis or omission.
- It should provide specific details on things such as double-checking facts and consultation of official sources.
- It should specify the use of web logs and technology emerging fields that often confuse mainstream journalists.
- It should indicate how to correct substantive errors promptly and prominently.
- It should indicate what to do in cases of conflicts of interest: Involvement in such things as politics, community affairs, demonstrations, and social causes that could cause a conflict of interest.
- It has to specify the journalist’s obligation to refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
- It should deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
- It should encourage journalists to be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.
- It should say how to proceed when identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.
- It has to indicate what to do when naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.
- It should respond to larger questions, like the responsibility of the journalist in a national crisis, the social value of the magazine or the journalist's connection or lack of connection to community.
Many Colombian journalists arrive at their notions of these things on their own, privately. Though they are not entirely absent from journalists’ thinking, they are inexplicit, indistinct, usually private and, sometimes not considered altogether.
But like any profession, journalism must be guided by higher ethical principles. That is why this code is important: to make sure “an ethical conscience” governs journalism in my magazine.
There are many other things I’ve learned to appreciate during my time at The Inquirer. For instance, that American journalism often focuses on topics that connect people with their communities.
In Colombia, newspapers and magazines are usually filled with scandals and corruption cases. Good quotes often come from government officials, company executives, terrorists or drug dealers. We hardly include a quote from an average Colombian.
I understand now why it’s important to tell stories about communities and ordinary citizens: to help create community attachments and engage people in civic life.
It is for this reason that one of my missions when I return will be to explain to my colleagues the tremendous importance of writing more stories about local communities and human lives.
Among other interesting aspects this fellowship has allowed me to better understand, is the key role of a good editor. Since I’ll be promoted to editor of the business section when I return to my magazine, I’ve paid special attention to the way editors at The Inquirer work with reporters and staff writers.
The Inquirer’s editors help reporters understand how and why the news has meaning for, and relevance to, readers’ lives.
The way they achieve that is by applying intelligence and critical thinking skills — the power of focus — to every story. They not only talk about the story, but also about photos and graphics, and the best way to frame the byline. They are like the camera lens that focuses the picture ring until the image is clear.
When I am promoted, I will try my best to imitate them. I will also keep in my mind what Roy Peter Clark told us during our Midterm Seminar at the Poynter Institute: “There’s no better place than a newsroom to practice the art of coaching...”
Thanks to AFPF for this fantastic opportunity!
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