Media Today: Trying To Be First Rather Than Right

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    The topic of news sources has been a recurring topic for me this year, especially since starting journalism courses. When Professor Joe Michaels recounted his experience directing NBC'S TODAY on 9/11 this year he explained that back then, producers required three credible sources before they went to air with information. There was no relying on other outlets for information (i.e. Attributing U.S.A. Today about a story that is run on The Today Show). In Dr. Nahed Eltantawy's Reporting and Writing Across Platforms class, she taught the importance of cultivating and maintaining credible sources. This is important if you are assigned to a specific beat such as crime or government because it makes gathering information a lot easier. As I heard from the group that presented their EOTO 3 on Reliable Sources, this isn't the case so much in today's media landscape. Nowadays it's about being first rather than right. Since TV news is a money-driven business run by ratings, the media would rather be first, even if they know they aren't right to attract the most viewers. Because when it is revealed that they are not accurate in their reporting, from a business perspective, it doesn't matter at that point. The profits have already started to roll in.





    It is sad to see that the process of gathering and reporting news has come to this because of the shift from accurately informing viewers to garnering the most profit. In a recent conversation with Prof. Michaels, I asked him will the process of confirming a story with credible sources before running it ever goes back to the way it was. He replied, "If it does, it will be up to your generation to spearhead the initiative."

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