By: Gabby Jones and Emily Haas
In the noise of the digital age, the spread of false information is a crisis. While everyone must confront how their own actions contribute to the problem, journalists often face the blame for mis- and disinformation. The solution requires a social contract with both sides having clear obligations: journalists must uphold ethical and legal standards, while consumers are asked to be media-literate and exercise good judgment.
Journalists have an obligation to the truth that requires questioning every claim, no matter the source. One of the first things journalism students at Milligan learn is DMSU — don’t make stuff up. This standard can also be summed up by the saying, “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” Journalists here at Milligan, and everywhere else, are expected to fact-check, confirm and fact-check again. Even the most innocent assertion, like the spelling of a name or city, has to be double- or triple-checked before sharing it with the public.
When it comes to creating and fact-checking stories, the Stampede at Milligan follows procedures similar to those of big media organizations. The staff meets weekly to discuss assignments, trying to focus on events or issues going on around campus. After the meeting, every reporter starts working on their story, doing research and trying to see the story from different angles.
Research includes interviews with students, faculty and staff, which are often recorded for accuracy purposes, as well as looking through Milligan’s websites, official social media accounts and sometimes even the archives. After writing and submitting a story, the editor and editor-in-chief both edit and fact-check all stories. The reporters look at their stories after the editing process, asking questions and fixing mistakes. After that process, which takes about a week and a half for most Stampede stories, they are published on the website. Before being published in the print edition, they are reviewed again. Nonetheless, journalists are people and people make mistakes, even though this trade tries to minimize them as much as possible.
Sometimes, though, even the best efforts by journalists to portray the truth from all angles can be undermined. Social media has made all people consumers and sharers of information. Each share is an act with potential consequences, like spreading mis- and disinformation. Sometimes that happens by accident; other times it happens intentionally. Before sharing any content, you should pause to ask yourself: What is the source? What is the intent — to inform or to anger?
Consumers of all media, from newspapers to social media, must recognize that consuming and sharing information is not passive but an active responsibility, requiring critical thinking and verification. The commitment to ideal journalism only functions when both the sellers and consumers commit to quality over convenience and truth over tribalism.
