Why Do Reporters Feel They Need To Get A Quote To Report What They Know?
from the journalism-failures dept
Greg David does a nice job highlighting one reason why so many "traditional" journalism offerings are in trouble these days, in discussing why no news reporters seemed willing to point out that Jeff Zucker would surely be moved out of NBC once the Comcast takeover was done. While that news was finally made official recently, before that, the press dutifully reported the claim that Zucker would remain. Yet, as David points out, almost everyone covering the space knew it wasn't true, but they felt they had to report it because they couldn't quote someone to say otherwise, or they might lose access to NBC. After detailing why it was inevitable that Zucker would be tossed, David explains:Reporters knew all this. Some believed they couldn't write it unless someone told them it would happen. They also knew that if they did write Mr. Zucker was doomed, he might not be accessible to them and he could even shut the NBC Universal door entirely to reporters who angered him.In some ways, though, this is all a damaging circle. They need "access" because that's how they get those meaningless quotes that allow them to say what they know is true, but won't say without a quote. This is partly why I keep trying to explain to PR people that I don't want or care about access to companies in most cases. My posts tend to be me saying what I believe -- and if someone from a company has something important to say, they can say it in the comments. If reporters were more willing to actually say what they know and not worry so much about access (which isn't nearly as valuable as they think), perhaps people would actually trust them a bit more.
The end result, of course, is that readers of the NBC stories wonder why the reporters were so wrong about Mr. Zucker's future.
I visited an undergraduate journalism class at Baruch last week and was asked how much advertising pressures affected editorial coverage in my years as editor of Crain's. The answer was hardly at all. Rather, I told the students, reporters self-censor themselves not over concern about advertising but because they want access to companies.
The Zucker story showed that once again that is reporters' interest in access not advertisers who censor the news.
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Filed Under: access, journalism, point of view, reporting
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Where citizen journalism might help
That said, I think the problem you point out is valid. And I wonder whether citizen journalists, who aspire to tell a true story, could get around this little problem. They aren't concerned with advertising, so that won't be a self-censoring problem. They may be concerned with access, of course, but if your livelihood doesn't come from journalism, you may be freer to speak the truth, even without quotes.
Finally, I do have one question: Should we be concerned about whether a reporter is "reporting" or "speculating" in a story? If a reporter "knows" Zucker is outta there, and they say so, isn't that opinion, and therefore not reporting in the classic sense?
Maybe the classic sense is just that, though... classic, not current.
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West Coast v East Coast Mentality
He made a few changes to make his product available, but instead of continuing to offer the product in a consumer-friendly fashion, he probably butted heads with some West Coast programming execs and ultimately West Coast won for reasons which can't be shared here.
As an olive leaf to West Coast, it's possible that he sent Conan which just didn't work out with West Coast Production Staffers.
Zucker is on top of what the end consumer wants. He's a supply-chain guy, coming from a background at GE, but I imagine West Coast didn't want to budge. It probably led then to the Comcast Merger, a company who could create and distribute content equally both East Coast and West Coast content.
It's possible that some would say Zucker may have took the easy way out by shepherding in a Comcast Merger in this reality. Indeed, it's possible that someone at his level contemplated spinning off NBC Westcoast- creating a separate network so it could compete against East Coast content.
With the Comcast Merger, in many ways he succeed at this.
There are a lot of things wrong with Los Angeles. Dumb content ideas, political infighting may ultimately result in things like Jay Leno coming out of retirement.
"I think personally I'd like people to remember me as being creative and innovative, willing to take risks, cared a lot about diversity and created a culture of cooperation and collaboration that's pretty rare in media these days."
I most genuinely wish him the best.
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Reporters vs columnists
Reporters (should) only report facts. If someone says something, then that is a fact and therefore reportable.
News and opinion should be separate, otherwise the reader cannot be sure what part of the stories are facts. Reporters and columnists should remain separate.
If a reporter said what he thought then the facts become less trustworthy as they are more likely to be shaped to fit the agenda of the reporter (now columnist).
Your article states "almost everyone covering the space knew it wasn't true". How did they know this? That is what should be reported.
[Access to news sources is a separate topic on which I am not commenting]
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Re: Reporters vs columnists
Readers and viewers don't necessarily care about the difference between facts and opinion. Look at how popular Fox News is.
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I know how it started
Writing that reminded me of a billboard down the hill from my houses. It said "Making and breaking the news". I knew what they were trying to say, but the first time I saw it I thought "finally, truth in advertising".
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Re: Reporters vs columnists
I hear reporters all the time say things like "Some are speculating that..."
If you report an opinion as a fact, that is bad. If you report that someone has an opinion, that is a fact. And thus they can report on it if they believe there is any merit to it.
And that's my opinion, as a matter of fact.
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if i have a quote of someone saying that then im just reporting what info i managed to gather.
this is just a question of taking responsibility, by having a quote said reporters shift any responsibility to whom ever said it, if they don't have a quote or other supporting facts then they have to be responsible to what they are saying.
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Re: Re: Reporters vs columnists
A reporter could quote themselves and give their opinion, but then they become a commentator. Nothing wrong with that, but they are no longer a reporter.
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Re: Re: Reporters vs columnists
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Its butt covering
1. With a quote the reporter has someone they can point the finger straight at and say, "Don't look at me I got it from ____."
2. Without a quote even if the reporter originally stated that it was a not confirmed ("Evidence is pointing to Colin Powell possibly making a run for the White House." They aren't saying its happen just that there is a rumor.) if it turns out to not be true that then reporter will lose a bit of face and people will lose faith in that reporter.
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Not all reports are afraid of losing access
Of course, the documentary team who caused the loss of access are separate to the sports team who were hit with it. Plus it is in the Premier League contracts that he has to give interviews to the broadcast rights holders (something that was tightened up especially to try and force him to end his boycott) and so the club is now being threatened with fines.
http://thefc100.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/ferguson-vs-the-bbc-round-two-fight/
http://ww w.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/22/alex-ferguson-premier-league-bbc
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Re:
They obviously can't depend on everyone they ever want to report on being a fan of theirs to get access to them though.
Access to creative types won't be valuable to everyone, that is why you need to "connect with fans".
Is that what you are asking?
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Re: Re: Reporters vs columnists
I have always disliked the stupid. Though those that point out how stupid people are on one side of the fence while doing the exact thing on the other side are held in a special place. You are an idiot.
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Re:
Two totally different things.
In the reporting context, we're talking about access to sources that the reporter can use as a part of their job.
For entertainers, we're talking about how much fans value access.
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Re: Reporters vs columnists
How condescending to readers. Why do you think they should be kept separate? It seems like an artificial construct that makes little sense.
Your article states "almost everyone covering the space knew it wasn't true". How did they know this? That is what should be reported.
Because it's how the business works, and reporting otherwise was being a lot less than truthful. In your quest for avoiding an "agenda," all of those reporters had an agenda, which was to mislead the public about Zucker's ultimate role.
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Re:
Reporters want access because they think that's how you get respect, fame and the big bucks.
Reporters who sell their souls for access and quotes are treated like parrots working a 9-5, and fans are treated like tools for sucking up to a band.
But at the end of the day, the fans got exactly what they wanted, and the reporters...don't.
If a reporter wants to become a success, they need an opinion. Just ask John Stewart or Glenn Beck. Whatever you're thoughts on either of them is, they are far more famous and rich than any reporter clawing for "access".
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Re: Re: Reporters vs columnists
Your advice to news writers also seems to ignore the persistent criticism that too much speculation and "analysis" creep into supposedly straight news stories. Look at the latest Gallup poll -- distrust of the news media is hitting new highs, with more than half of those surveyed saying the press is too liberal. Injecting personal opinions into news coverage helps that how?
IMHO, the solution isn't to have news reporters include their own speculation into coverage. It's to be way more transparent -- e.g., by providing documents and using fewer anonymous sources.
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Re: Re: Reporters vs columnists
Nor is the distinction between reporter and commentator artificial. One delivers facts, the other delivers opinion and facts.
There is a difference between
"X signed the document"
and
"[It is my opinion that] X signed the document"
If I am reading a commentator then I have to consider the bracketed statement.
You think that reporters should deliver opinion too. Fine, but that makes them commentators/columnists/bloggers and their reputation as a reporter is lost (thought they gain reputation as a columnist).
You failed to answer my point about how almost everyone covering the space knew it wasn't true. Was there some evidence to point to this (fact), or could it be worked out by reasoning (opinion).
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Zucker and Access
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Law Reviews Too
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Re: Zucker and Access
Good old Rumsfeld's unknown unknowns!
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