This chapter discusses the principles of journalism verification. It explains that journalism's focus should be on getting facts accurately by verifying information from multiple sources, rather than on speed or entertainment value. The lost meaning of objectivity is also explored, noting it originally referred to transparently showing your work, not being bias-free. Journalism of verification prizes accuracy over immediacy by thoroughly checking facts, while journalism of assertion risks reporting things before the truth is known.

1. CHAPTER 4
JOURNALISM OF VERIFICATION
By Kamsa Thephavong

2. The 3 Key Ideas/Concepts
Discipline of Verification
Lost Meaning of Objectivity
Journalism Assertion Vs.
Journalism Verification

3. Discipline of
Verification

4. What is Verification
“In the end, the discipline of verification is
what separates journalism from
entertainment, propaganda, fiction, or
art.... Journalism alone is focused first on
getting what happened down right....”
Journalism ignores the manipulation and
persuasion of facts and infotainment and
focuses on accuracy and clarity

5. Essential Principle of Reporting
5 Concepts
 (1) Never add anything that was not there
 (2) Never deceive the audience
 (3) Be as transparent as possible about your methods and
motives
 (4) Rely on your own original reporting
 (5) Exercise humility
 The willingness of the journalist to be transparent about what he or she
has done is at the heart of establishing that the journalist is concerned
with the truth.... Too much journalism fails to say anything about
methods, motives, and sources.”

6. Principles of Journalism Article
Summary
 This article explains 9 concept ideas about what the principles of Journalism is and
from my key concept they are mentioning about Its essence is a discipline of
verification and here what the article said about this key idea
 Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying information. When the
concept of objectivity originally evolved, it did not imply that journalists are free of
bias. It called, rather, for a consistent method of testing information–a transparent
approach to evidence–precisely so that personal and cultural biases would not
undermine the accuracy of their work. The method is objective, not the journalist.
Seeking out multiple witnesses, disclosing as much as possible about sources, or asking
various sides for comment, all signal such standards. This discipline of verification is
what separates journalism from other modes of communication, such as
propaganda, fiction or entertainment. But the need for professional method is not
always fully recognized or refined. While journalism has developed various techniques
for determining facts, for instance, it has done less to develop a system for testing the
reliability of journalistic interpretation.
 Link - http://www.journalism.org

7. Lost Meaning
of Objectivity

8. The Lost Meaning of Objectivity
 19th century focused on Realism rather than
objectivity
 “Objectivity called for journalists to develop a
consistent method of testing information – a
transparent approach to evidence”
 “It does not matter that the news is not susceptible
of mathematical statement. In fact, just because
news is complex and slippery, good reporting
requires the exercise of the highest scientific
virtues” – Lippmann

9. Two Methods
 First Method – Impartial voice
employed by many news organizations – that
familiar, supposedly neutral style of newswriting – is not a
fundamental principle of journalism. Rather, it is an often
helpful device news organizations use to highlight that they
are trying to produce something obtained by objective
methods.
 Second Method – Neutral voice
without a discipline of verification, creates a veneer covering
something hollow. Journalists who select sources to express
what is really their own point of view, and then use the
neutral voice to make it seem objective, are engaged in a
form of deception. This damages the credibility of the craft
by making it seem unprincipled, dishonest, and biased.

10. Journalism Assertion vs.
Journalism Verification

11. Journalism Assertion
 Definition - “A newer model that puts the highest
value on immediacy and volume and in so doing
tends to become a passive conduit of information
 "The journalism of assertion is fine because it has
journalism of verification embedded in it. It is
reporting -- cable TV is the example. It is
reporting, but it is also opinion journalism. It is
also an event announced, a fact announced, before
the truth is known. It's all about speed.“ - Kovach

12. Journalism Verification
 Definition - A traditional model that puts the highest value on accuracy
and context.
 Maybe the best way to understand my method is what I do for the
students when they come into my class,” Protess explained in an
interview. “I draw a set of co-centric circles on the blackboard. In the
outermost circle are secondary source documents, things like press
accounts … The next circle in is primary source documents, trial
documents like testimony and statements. The third circle in is real
people, witnesses. We interview them to see if everyone matches
what’s in the documents. And at the inner circle are what I call targets
– the police, the lawyers, other suspects, and the prisoner.”
 David Protess explaination

13. Example of Verification

14. Verification vs Contemporary
journalism
Verification - A traditional model
that puts the highest value on
accuracy and context.
Contemporary – A new model of
journalism
Example – Digital Journalism
Link - http://pressacademy.org

15. Quiz Time 3
Questions
Only

16. Question 1
What are the 5 principle of Reporting?
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________

17. Question 2
What are the differences between
Journalism of Verification vs.
Journalism of Assertion in a
complete sentence?

18. Question 3
What is the Lost Meaning
of Objectivity in your own
words?

19. Work cited
 Joy, A. (n.d.). Contemporary journalistic trends – a
gandhian critique-thesis by aby p. joy - see more at:
http://pressacademy.org/content/contemporaryjournalistic-trends-–-gandhian-critique-thesis-abyp-joy
 Kovach, B., & Rosenstiel, T. (2007). The elements
of journalism. New York, New York: Crown
Publisher.
 Principles of journalism. (2013, May 5). Retrieved
from
http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles-ofjournalism/