This document discusses principles of fair and balanced journalism. It advocates presenting all important views on a subject without personal bias and ensuring factual accuracy. Reporters should get perspectives from both sides and give sources a chance to respond, while avoiding loaded or misleading language. When verifying assertions, journalists shouldn't create a false balance between legitimate experts and fringe positions. They should also question statistically implausible claims and select wording carefully to avoid bias.

1. Fairness and Balance
Not the Fox News kind

2. Fairness and Balance
• Fair: The report presents all important views
on a subject
• Unbiased: The reporter separates her
personal opinions
• Accurate: The news outlet each day makes
a rigorous effort to ensure facts are accurate
and presented in the correct context
• Get both sides and give sources a chance to
answer their critics
• Avoid loaded language: reform, pro-family

3. The Echo Chamber
• Are you reporting what’s newsworthy and
important to your audience, or do you
consider it newsworthy because a news
outlet you respect has given it attention?
• Incestuous amplification
• Are you writing to educate your audience
or give them confirmation about their
beliefs?

4. Verifying Assertions
• Don’t create an artificial balance: Legitimate
scientists on one side, passionate nut jobs on
the other
• It’s not enough to give the same amount of
time if one side is saying things that are
untrue
• The scientists who disagree with the
concept of climate change are a very small
number on the fringes (same with
autism/vaccine link)

5. Verifying Assertions
• Question stats with the “common sense” test:
– “as many as 2,000,000 children are abducted
every year in the U.S.
– 1 billion people watch the Academy Awards
• Avoid loaded language
– Not always easy: illegal immigrants vs.
undocumented workers

6. Fairness and Balance
Not the Fox News kind