Celebrity death and the failures of journalism

The coverage of the death of actor Heath Ledger offers an almost textbook example of the failings of modern journalism.

I’m not talking about the out-of-proportion coverage or the obsession with celebrity and celebrity failings that drive stories like this. I’m talking about something more ingrained in the way we do our jobs these days, a methodology that contributes to the sloppy work of most journalists and helps explain why public opinion polls have consistently shown Americans to have little respect for the profession.

Ledger, one of the stars of “Brokeback Mountain,” died Tuesday. Initial “reports” were that the death was drug related and that he may have been found at a friend’s apartment. Later “reports” placed him at his own New York City residence. “Reports” said he called his latest girlfriend, that he overdosed, that he was a troubled soul — some of which has proven to be accurate, though most turned out to be nothing more than speculation. The stories — on television, in newspapers such as The New York Post and the New York Daily News — offered vague attributions like “detectives close to the investigation,” “law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity,” etc.
And that’s the crux of my criticism. Watching MSNBC this morning as a ran on the treadmill, I was struck by how much information was provided about Ledger’s death and how little of it was attributed. Reading the Post this morning was the same.
Given what I do for a living, I tend to be skeptical of the “sources say” construction — as I ask my reporters, “what sources?” Who are these people, why are they speaking anonymously and why are we letting them? Why should the reader believe they even exist?

Anonymous sources are sometimes necessary, such as when information that is important for the public good is disclosed by someone who might face retribution for revealing it. I think of whistle blowers whose jobs — or even lives — could be imperiled by their decisions to come forward and disclose safety hazards or public corruption. There are other instances in which quoting an anonymous source makes sense.

But a general prohibition against using anonymous sources is probably a good idea, because it forces news organizations to justify anonymity each time it comes up. And each case should be justified both internally and to the reader.

Anonymous sources have a long and mixed history, but I have the sense that they are being used to a greater degree these days and with less thought. The reason for this — or at least part of the reason — is the growing sense among news organizations that they always be first. It creates an imperative among reporters to sacrifice accuracy and responsibility, to do almost anything they need to do, quote anyone, offer anyone anonymity, in an effort to get the story before the competition, or , at the very least, not to be left behind in the race.

The fact is, journalists in general need to take a step back and start asking questions about what they do and why they do it and then incorporate those answers in to the way we do our jobs. It is our only hope if we are to regain the public trust that is necessary for us to play our role in the democratic process.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

E-mail me by clicking here.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

A review of me?

I just came across this review of my chapbook, Suburban Pastoral. Not sure when it ran, not sure how he got his hands on it. But that’s quite OK with me.

Suburban Pastoral is a collection of poems by Hank Kalet, who spends most of eir time editing newspapers in the New Jersey area, along with writing columns for The Progressive Populist. This is a chapbook containing Kalet’s works over the last few years. Voices of Reason, the imprint under which Kalet released this chapbook, “is an arts collective that seeks to raise money for organizations in central New Jersey working to alleviate hunger and aid the homeless”. So, with a good cause in mind, this chapbook was released. The poetry is strong, with Kalet attempting different things with seemingly every one of the twenty-plus poems here. Like chapbooks from larger imprints, there is nothing on a page besides the title, page number, and the poem. I’m not sure how I feel about that. While it is nice to show a professional side to small press imprints, perhaps a more graphic interpretation of certain phrases or lines would make this chapbook all the more impressive. Regardless, the poems in this work are poignant and interesting, devoid of triteness. Kalet is a good poet, and while this issue is small, the fact that this is “Number 1” may give hope to those individuals that wish to see subsequent issues of Suburban Pastoral or works from artists and poets in the Dayton, New Jersey area. If poetry is your thing, send along a donation of Voices of Reason and I’m sure they will send whatever things are currently out by the imprint. Here’s to hoping that this provides a revenue stream for their efforts.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

E-mail me by clicking here.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

On MOM: Asking questionsto get the answers you want

Those crazy wild and crazy cats over in Monmouth and Ocean counties are at it again. They held a press conference this morning at which they released the results of a poll they say shows massive and widespread support for a commuter line running through Monroe, Jamesburg and South Brunswick — the so-called MOM line.

The poll numbers, taken at face value, would seem to show just that. Nearly four in five residents in the three counties polled indicated they supported the South Brunswick alternative.

The problem, however, is that understanding the poll requires that you look a little deeper — at what was asked and what was not.

Let’s start with what was not asked, specifically, whether respondents would support any other alternative but the South Brunswick route. And that question, according to the Power Point presentation made at the press conference (sent to us by the public relations firm working on behalf of MOM supporters), was only asked after a series of questions designed to get local commuters thinking about the difficulty of their commute.

More import is the specific text of the main question:

The South Brunswick Alignment of the MOM rail project proposal, also known as the Monmouth Junction Alignment, is a new passenger train line that will use existing railroad tracks to bring fast, dependable train service to your area. In Ocean County, the line begins in Lakehurst and travels through Manchester, Toms River, Jackson and Lakewood. From Lakewood, the line will pass into Monmouth County through Howell, Farmingdale, Freehold, Manalapan and Englishtown. From Englishtown, the line will continue into Middlesex County, passing through Monroe, Jamesburg and South Brunswick. For area residents, this alignment would permit more transportation options when traveling within the region and also connect residents by rail to places like Trenton, New Brunswick, Metro Park, Newark Airport, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC and Boston. Knowing this, do you favor or oppose this alignment?

That’s a lot of words, so I’ll boil it down. There are two key phrases in this question: “fast, dependable train service” and the statement of fact that comes just before the question, “For area residents, this alignment would permit more transportation options when traveling within the region and also connect residents by rail to places like Trenton, New Brunswick, Metro Park, Newark Airport, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC and Boston.”

Technically true? Perhaps. But it is important to note that most of these options already exist — especially for the people living in Middlesex County who already live relatively close to the Northeast Corridor line and several rail stations.

Simply put, this was a push poll, one designed to get the specific answer desired. In this case, the freeholder boards in Monmouth and Ocean counties paid $18,000 for a public relations firm to create a poll that would prove their contention that people want the line through Monmouth Junction.

What’s surprising is how transparent the effort was. I would have expected $18,000 to buy something a little more sophisticated than what ultimately was produced.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

E-mail me by clicking here.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.