Since Donald Trump took the oath of office, the media has been constantly attacked for being fake news.
Trump tweeted:
Recently, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer banned the New York Times, CNN, Politico, the Los Angeles Times and BuzzFeed from attending a gaggle, which is a non-televised briefing.
As journalists have to abide by the SPJ Code of ethics, reporters have to seek the truth and report it , minimize harm , act independently and be accountable and transparent.
credit : Vanessa Otero
Beside the network news, there are five TV news and newspaper sources that exemplify these points:
1. CSPAN
CSPAN live streams white house briefings, legislative and Senate sessions. This station was a primary source during the Democratic sit in. The cameras in the house chamber were turned off. The cameras are only on if the house is in session. CSPAN was able to broadcast Congressmen's Facebook Live and Periscope feeds. This is a substitute of political commentary shows. Viewers are exposed to the unedited reality of politics.
2. Associated Press
Grandfather of all news outlets, AP reports the facts and gets direct sources for their stories. The outlet is constantly updating news stories. There isn't any bias in the reporting. They also have 10 things to know for the day section. It summarizes stories readers should know for the day.
One of the elements of seeking the truth and reporting it is getting official sources. Associated Press is a primary source for journalists.
3. NPR
National Public Radio is a public radio station that is privately funded. This radio station is reliable for their live fact checks during debates, speeches and press conferences. For example, there was an NPR annotation of Trump's Press conference remarks. In their annotations, reporters will clarify information Trump mentioned.
Fact checking represents the element of providing updated and more complete information as appropriate. Journalists have to constantly verify information before publishing their stories.
For example, Trump said he doesn't have any business deals with Russia. NPR clarified that Trump landed a deal to hold the Miss Universe contest in Russia. Trump tweeted about the deal, and there was a direct link to the tweet.
4. PBS News Hour
A publicly funded program with non-biased reporting. PBS News Hour is an hour-long newscast with no commercials. There is no fluffy news. Viewers get different perspectives of stories they want to hear. Even if there is a political panel, the conversations are cordial and there isn't any dispute between panelists.
5. New York Times
Get both sides of the story. New York Times is catering to mobile and print. NYT has daily news briefings emailed to subscribers each morning at 6:00 am. The briefings consist of stories readers should know for the day.
They represent minimizing harm. For example, the editors debated whether or not to censor Trump's vulgar language on the Access Hollywood bus.
At the end of day, it all comes down to the greater good--how will people benefit from the news story?
