![]() We continue to offer a free 2-week trial of WrapPRO. If you’ve been wanting to check out our full coverage, now’s the time.Greetings!Like many journalists, I've long erred on the side of letting my story speak for itself. The newspaper I was writing for, whether it was The Wall Street Journal or San Gabriel Valley Tribune, was a big enough platform that it seemed fair to let critics or commenters have the last word — particularly if they didn't like what I had to write (and yes, I've been at this awhile). But thanks to social media and the rising tide of criticism, fueled in part by Donald Trump's relentless attacks and labeling of anything critical as "fake news," the dynamics have dramatically changed. It's made two things in journalism more important than ever:
As Trump and activists on both sides pressure journalists to twist and shape stories to suit their own agendas, taking a stand is more vital than ever. “Letting the journalism speak for itself is an approach from a bygone era,” Patrick Healy, the New York Times’ assistant managing editor for trust and standards, told our Corbin Bolies. “Our audience is understandably asking really tough questions about why and how we publish what we publish — that’s fair, and I think we want to do a better job of opening up our process and how we work in that regard.” Journalists aren't perfect, and media has its fair share of issues. But now more than ever, mistakes can be devastating, as evidenced by the BBC's mishandled edit of Trump's Jan. 6 speech or The Times of London quoting the wrong Bill de Blasio (the one that isn't the former mayor of New York City), leaving an opening for attacks on journalists. It also opens the door to other attacks that have less merit, such as Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal for its coverage of the president's relationship with dead convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, or his $15 billion suit over the Times' coverage of Trump's family and his businesses. As Bolies writes, this is a new battlefield, and one in which the media needs to embrace going on the offense. Roger Cheng
In exploring the importance of news standards in today's environment, Bolies talked to three of the biggest newsrooms in the business...
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