I want to preface my discussion with firstly expressing gratitude for being one of several news outlets that strive to keep the audience informed during the presidential race. This year has been without a doubt an exciting one for both news consumers and journalists alike. Never before have we witnessed what is arguably one of the most influential positions in the world be challenged by two individuals that are not particularly liked by many people. New York Times has not only been one of my regular sources of information regarding the development of the race but also the subject of scrutiny when it comes to understanding what makes for good journalism. Throughout my first journalism course in Stony Brook University, I’ve received the chance
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Fact checking is an important process in establishing the validity of the articles and enhancing the reputation of the outlet itself. I thank New York Times for being a strong proponent in this field and upholding the values of good journalism. A case that I would like to mention is the Pizzagate scandal. As you may have already known, Pizzagate involved an accusation against Hillary Clinton amongst others as being part of a child sex ring; this scandal caught on like wildfire and the workers and the boss, James Alefantis, of Comet Pizza received a great deal of death threats and attacks. This case is an extreme example of the controversy caused by the lack of fact checking because, as you and your team have dubbed it in your article on November 21st, it involved fake news that was baseless in its claims and exploited pictures of children in various odd positions as “proof” that the pedophilia ring existed. It was later proven false in a Snopes article on December 4th that showed how these pictures were manipulated to serve malicious purposes. The damage that resulted was irreversible. In my lectures, the three facets that are to be upheld when presenting a journalism piece are verification, independence, and accountability. When either of them fails to be present, the piece is no longer qualified to be called journalism. Fact-checking is the linchpin in fulfilling the verification role. The issue that arises is whether the audience is aware whether fact-checking was done. Voters can also have a hard time distinguishing journalism from fake news especially when technology is out to give these fakes a professional look or manipulation is done to the URL. Examples include ‘abcnews.com.co’ and ‘empirenews.net.’ The line between journalism and other forms of ‘information’ are blurred as well when
Fact checking is an important process in establishing the validity of the articles and enhancing the reputation of the outlet itself. I thank New York Times for being a strong proponent in this field and upholding the values of good journalism. A case that I would like to mention is the Pizzagate scandal. As you may have already known, Pizzagate involved an accusation against Hillary Clinton amongst others as being part of a child sex ring; this scandal caught on like wildfire and the workers and the boss, James Alefantis, of Comet Pizza received a great deal of death threats and attacks. This case is an extreme example of the controversy caused by the lack of fact checking because, as you and your team have dubbed it in your article on November 21st, it involved fake news that was baseless in its claims and exploited pictures of children in various odd positions as “proof” that the pedophilia ring existed. It was later proven false in a Snopes article on December 4th that showed how these pictures were manipulated to serve malicious purposes. The damage that resulted was irreversible. In my lectures, the three facets that are to be upheld when presenting a journalism piece are verification, independence, and accountability. When either of them fails to be present, the piece is no longer qualified to be called journalism. Fact-checking is the linchpin in fulfilling the verification role. The issue that arises is whether the audience is aware whether fact-checking was done. Voters can also have a hard time distinguishing journalism from fake news especially when technology is out to give these fakes a professional look or manipulation is done to the URL. Examples include ‘abcnews.com.co’ and ‘empirenews.net.’ The line between journalism and other forms of ‘information’ are blurred as well when