jsisser posted on May 18, 2010 15:34
When I flip on a news station or open up a newspaper, I expect to get accurate information from a reliable source.
However, it is clear the high standards of journalistic ethics were severely lacking during the “Free Hugs” fiasco that took our school by storm a few weeks ago.
Our journalism adviser tells us over and over again the importance of getting our facts straight and giving each side of an issue a voice.
The attention gained by the “Freedom Huggers” is a prime example of how inaccuracies in the news can make mountains out of molehills.
By now, the origin of the protest is pretty clear—students got upset over the school’s PDA policy, making signs and T-shirts to have their voices heard.
The whole thing spiraled out of control when irresponsible reporting on behalf of the local and regional media got involved.
The basic journalistic principle of fact checking seemed to fly out the window, as some news sources spread inaccuracies or failed to get both sides of the story.
For example, the “Freedom Huggers” told reporters they were receiving detentions for simply hugging, and the media seemed to eat that up.
But according to administrators, no disciplinary action was taken against friendly hugging, except for an occasional “Break that up”.
News outlets would have known this if they had checked their facts with administrators beforehand.
Maybe they would also have known that the policy students were protesting was not new, like some television channels reported. In fact, the same policy on PDA has been in place since 1997.
Being a young journalist, I should look up to and model after our local reporters and newscasters. In the future, I would hope those in charge of delivering information will strive for accuracy and get both sides of the story.