Verification: Why caution is key

I'm not sure how many of you are aware, but very recently CNN seriously botched up a news report making it quite obvious why the element of verification is so important.

On September 11, 2009, a routine Coast Guard training exercise on the Potomac River caught the attention of television crews that were already on alert for trouble due to the fact that it was the anniversary of 9/11. CNN took this information and ran with it, publishing reports that wrongly suggested shots had been fired on the river and noted that President Obama had just finished speaking nearby at the Pentagon. This information raised the possibility of some sort of criminal plot and the false reports produced an hourlong scare about gunfire and a terrorist attack. If only CNN had verified their facts before relying on a police scanner to misreport a Coast Guard training exercise.

In response to this incident, Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism said, “There’s never a benefit to a news organization in having something first if it’s wrong. That’s why caution is important.”

The essence of journalism is a discipline of verification. Clarifying common misunderstandings and improving fact-checking may be the most important step a journalist can take to bettering the quality of their writing and the news they deliver, as well as sparking meaningful public discussion. In the end, the discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other fields.

Carol Marin, a Chicago newscaster explained verification in a very succinct way:

"When you sit down this Thanksgiving with your family and you have one of the classic family arguments--whether it's about politics or race or religion or sex-- you remember that what you are seeing of that family dispute is seen from the position of your chair and your side of the table. And it will warp your view, because in those instances you are arguing your position . . . A journalist is someone who steps away from the table and tries to see it all."


What do you think is the best way to avoid these instances of misinformation from occurring? Are the inevitable?