| Examining Credibility
There’s not a lot that newspapers can do about the distorting journalistic
environment in which we live. But we can put our own house in order. That’s
what this research tells us to do. This should not be surprising, it’s
common-sensical. The public wants us to get back to tending our gardens.
Give us the facts and context, they say, in a neutral, unbiased way. As
former ASNE president Creed Black put it recently: "Editors should start
editing again." We have a big job to do in explaining ourselves.
Edward L. Seaton
Editor-in-Chief, The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury
1998-99 ASNE President
Examining Ourselves
The most salient point raised in the research is that explaining our
policies and judgments would go a long way toward increasing public trust
in the press. We deserve criticism for the errors we make and should do
whatever it takes to avoid them. But even the work we do with the best
of intentions can undermine reader confidence because we don’t bother to
explain our rationale to the public.
Diane H. McFarlin
Executive Editor, Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune
1998-99 Chair, ASNE Ethics and Values Committee
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