Get it Right the First Time

Most of you know my day job is that of a broadcast journalist.  I write and produce newscasts for my local radio station.  Charged with gathering local news and reporting it for my three radio stations and their respective websites is a pretty big job.
And it's important to get it right.  I get chastised in an email or by phone from a dissenting listener if I get it wrong.  Fortunately, I'm successful about 97 percent of the time, not that I'm keeping track, mind you.
If I do get it wrong, it's usually by transposing names, getting a gender wrong, or the plea information in a court case is missing a key detail. 
But how do you correct a real doozy?  Like reporting someone is dead when in fact they're still quite alive. 
In the waning hours of Saturday, January 21st, 2012, CBS did just this. 
As you'll recall, CBS has a history of overzealous reporting to score another blip in the ratings war between it, ABC and NBC.
No, Fox News doesn't count.  If you have to say 'fair and balanced' in your marketing statements, you're not kidding anyone but yourself.  Sorry.
You'll recall the Killian Documents Controversy, where four of six documents criticizing former President George W. Bush's service in the Air National Guard were produced in a 2004 CBS News special.  They were 'verified' to be authentic when in fact they were not.
And Dan Rather took the fall for this.
CBS' latest blunder was the incorrect report on the death of former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, who had come under intense media scrutiny in the wake of a child sex abuse scandal involving his former assistant, Jerry Sandusky.
CBS pulled the information from of all things, a third-party website without confirming the information.
Though the coach would die less than 12 hours later, the damage had already been done.  Its editor resigned in the wake of it all.
Oops.
This isn't to say that mistakes are never made in the world of journalism, but the caliber of these mistakes makes one wonder who to believe.
Why are ratings given priority over integrity?  Ratings numbers over accuracy? 
It's inaccuracies like these that allow web-based news agencies gain momentum...especially in rural markets.
Despite the growing number of people who turn on Comedy Central rather than CNN for their information, we still need our networks.
If we can't get them to turn on the TV, we can still get them to download the app or log onto the website.
And we need to get it right.
The first time.
Because it should be the ONLY time.
Walter, Peter, and John wouldn't have it any other way.
And they're watching.


NEXT WEEK:   Pennies From Heaven