Instant Gratification

We live in an age of wanting instant gratification. When something happens in the news, we want to know everything that is happening and being done. We will still in front of the television or watch for news alerts on our smartphone or computer as to what is going on when something happens. Because of this demand, more and more news agencies are taking the stand of reporting whatever they find out when they find it out. Although they say that they are getting the information from sources close to the situation, the information is not always correct.

Incorrect information being reported by news agencies has increased over the years. One of the most recent is the Boston Marathon bombings. The FBI criticized how the media delivered inaccurate information in regards to the suspects for this crime being in custody. The majority of the news outlets that had done this were in the Boston area so obviously it was something that people wanted to know as much information as possible. It is human nature to want more information about something that had impacted your direct community.

In the SPJ Code of Ethics, it says right in the beginning “Take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Verify information before releasing it. Use original sources whenever possible” and “Remember that neither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy.” With these two point alone, news outlets are already violating the code of ethics. They are not taking the time to make sure that all the information that they are releasing to the public is correct. By doing this, you can actually endanger more people. For this example, telling the public that they had a suspect in custody gave the community a false sense of security and safety.

Society has started to accept that news outlets are going to make mistakes. We’ve asked to be told as many details as possible as the events are unfolding without taking into consideration that the information that we are being given is not always correct. The worse part of this kind of acceptance has made it that once something is reported incorrectly, that information sticks with people even after the correct information is released. This goes back to the problem that we are living in a society that wants to know everything right away instead of letting the news outlets to take the time to get the correct information the first time.

Knowing what is happening as it is happening is not always the best thing for everyone involved. There are times that the incorrect information being reported will have damaging effects. For example the reporting of the death of Gabby Giffords (Carter 2013). We have come to accept that retractions occur and since society is asking for the information immediately the news agencies are not taking the time needed to confirm.

References:

Carter, Bill (2013, April 17). The F.B.I. Criticizes the News Media After Several Mistaken Reports of an Arrest. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/business/media/fbi-criticizes-false-reports-of-a-bombing-arrest.html?_r=1

SPJ code of ethics. (2014, September 6). Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved from: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp