From Spin! How the News Media Misinform and Why Consumers Misunderstand, by Bob Conrad, Ph.D.

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Chapter 2, part 7 of 8

Increased inaccuracies and mistrust

Despite the increasing influence of citizen journalists, mistrust of news continues to grow rapidly. The Pew Research Center (www.people-press.org) released in 2009 its annual report examining public evaluations of the news media. The subtitle of the Pew’s news release at the time: “Press accuracy rating hits two-decade low.”

Pew’s 2011 report had similar findings. Even though citizens view news organizations as more credible than government and business, “negative opinions about the performance of news organizations now equal or surpass all-time highs on nine of 12 core measures the Pew Research Center has been tracking since 1985.”

The reason for this new low is, in part, because reporters do not have adequate systems in place to ensure accuracy or fairness. Instead, it is up to bloggers, researchers and, sometimes, other media to analyze and report contextual errors, furthering the power of information shapers outside of the traditional newsroom.

Nothing illustrates this better than how the press report on complex information, such as scientific issues. Others are often left to correct serious errors or omissions committed within news reports about scientific issues. Research about the news media explains why these errors occur.

In 2000, two researchers from Texas A&M University conducted a study of 88 journalists from 62 of the largest U.S. newspapers. One of the study’s findings, by Tom Vestal and Gary Briers, was that journalists’ knowledge of biotechnology was lower than their perceived knowledge of the field. In short, the reporters and editors who participated believed they knew more about biotechnology than they actually did.

Other studies may explain why reporters have such views of their own knowledge. Agricultural communications research has delved into reporter accuracy about agricultural issues – from normal farm practices to biotechnology – to understand journalists’ knowledge and beliefs.

One study surveyed Arkansas newspaper editors. It found that they had no formal agricultural training or background, yet they were charged with determining if agricultural news was indeed newsworthy.

Another study found that negative newspaper coverage of Oklahoma swine production was written by reporters who did not have an agricultural background.

In another study, examining The Associated Press news between 1997-2000, found that less than one-half of the statements made in agricultural news articles contained sentences with verifiable facts.

Finally, in an analysis of organic food news media coverage, researchers found that news media generally frame organic agriculture positively. They wrote: “… the positive attitudes toward organic agriculture are already in place, even if they may be based on marginal scientific evidence.”

More recently, a CNN report glowingly covered a supposed clean-energy technology that had elsewhere been debunked, without any pretense of fact checking.

When reporters report on issues for which they have little knowledge, they often lack the awareness to ask the most important questions, and they tend to choose sources that may or may not have the necessary expertise about the topic being covered.

In addition, as newsrooms have been downsized, the ability for reporters and editors to take time to adequately fact-check stories has also diminished, especially when it comes to scientific or complex issues, including medicine, health, law and government policies.

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