Behind the scenes, trust is a common topic among journalism types.
In fact, I am so interested in this aspect of my job that in my spare time, I am taking a a non-profit that provides media services, including journalism ethics training.
Trust is perhaps the most critical link between a community and its media outlet.
You need to trust that what you are reading is reliable.
There is no doubt, globally, that trust in media has eroded over time — especially in the U.S., but in Canada too.
The at the University of Oxford, found that only 42% of Canadian respondents trust “most news, most of the time.”
This trust gap is complex, with many factors contributing to it.
It is also very sad for those of us who work hard to deserve that trust.
The vast majority of accredited media outlets — meaning those following — deserve readers’ trust.
By that, I don’t mean that journalists never get it wrong. They — we — are human beings.
What I mean by trust is responsible and accountable — the reporter follows established press rules, guidelines and ethics in their decision-making.
When they get it wrong, they publicly acknowledge it and correct the error immediately.
Part of why some folks don’t trust the media, I think, is because we have failed to explain how and why we do our jobs.
Terms like “off the record” and “confidential source” are thrown about but not explained.
The ethics around the divide between advertising and news creation are not understood.
We want to change that.
We have launched a trust initiative through our weekly newsletter, where we explain a journalism term or policy each week.
The first one we tackled this week was “off the record.”
Here’s what it said:
What does “off the record” mean?
When being interviewed by a journalist, always assume you are “on the record,” meaning that what you say could be quoted in a story with your first and last name attached.
A source — the person being interviewed by the reporter — can ask before the interview starts to go “off the record.”
This means that you want to tell the journalist something, but you want to avoid that information ending up in a story attached to your name.
The reporter has to agree to this request.
If there is mutual agreement, the information is kept strictly between the reporter and the source.
If you want something you say to be off the record, you must request this before divulging the information.
So don’t send an email with information stating “off the record.”
The key to off-the-record conversations is that both sides must agree before sharing the information. Some reporters are comfortable with going off and on the record, while others don’t allow it at all.
If you want to learn more of this type of information, sign up for The 撸奶社区’s email newsletter: www.squamishchief.com/account/mailinglist.
If there are journalism terms or policies you would like to know more about, email me: .
