To say that good journalism can't exist without good fact checking is such a self-explanatory argument that it requires no elaboration. Facts are the building blocks for news stories, the points of contention in op-eds, and, ultimately, the reason you bothered to pick up this newspaper in the first place.
Lately, however, it seems that many major media organizations have forgone the tenet of fact checking in favor of another component of good journalism: speed.
Good news is timely news. And with a modern-day news cycle that revolves at an alarming speed, networks are feeling more pressure than ever to be the first to break a major story. But reporting something semi-accurately extremely quickly is not an acceptable alternative to being late to the party.
Joe Paterno, the embattled former head coach of the Pennsylvania State University's football team, died yesterday. Although Penn State's Board of Trustees fired him amid allegations of child molestation levied against his longtime assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, Paterno still remained a heroic figure for many Nittany Lions fans. The former head coach had been fighting lung cancer for nearly two months, and was described by doctors as being in serious condition Saturday night. When a tweet from a Penn State online student news organization, Onward State, reported that Paterno had died, the shocking news instantly went viral. CBSSports, The Guardian, and The Star-Ledger all picked up the story.
The only problem with the tweet? Paterno wasn't actually dead yet when it was released. Not bothering to substantiate a single, crucial fact resulted in the resignation of Onward State's Managing Editor and created a good deal of embarrassment for any organization that picked up the story.
A similar incident occurred on Jan. 8, 2011, after gunman Jared Lee Loughner shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in the head at an open hall meeting in Casas Adobes, Ariz. Amid the pandemonium that followed the shooting, National Public Radio was quick to report during its 2 p.m. newscast that Giffords had been killed when she was actually still undergoing surgery. The story was picked up by major media organizations including FOX, CNN, and CBS, all of which endured well-deserved criticism after Giffords thankfully survived her surgery.
Every media organization in the country wants to be the first to break a major headline. They want it so badly that the validity of the story often becomes a secondary concern.
Whatever mistakes he may have made, Joe Paterno deserved better than for headlines declaring his death to circulate the globe when he was still clinging to life in a hospital bed. In their haste to be the first to publish all things Paterno, many prominent and renowned news organizations forgot the basic principles of journalistic integrity and basic human life. To circulate an unsubstantiated report of Paterno's death was a shocking abuse of the media's colossal power.
It may seem trivial to get so worked about false reports of Paterno's death that were, in fact, only premature by 12 hours. But those reports prematurely thrust Paterno's thousands of admirers into mourning -— and then into confusion when it transpired that Paterno was, in fact, still alive. Moreover, it once again calls into question the character of America's news media, which has been dubious from the outset of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Hopefully, the media learns this lesson, and learns it soon: It doesn't matter how fast a story breaks if its facts don't hold up to basic scrutiny.
