Chapter 7 "A Word's Worth"

1/ Newspapers should aim to reach an audience of all levels of intelligence. Targeting one specific demographic based on intellect would be impractical and extremely short sighted. Newspapers should strive for clarity. People ranging from the lowest common denominator to the highest will appreciate news reporting that strives for clarity and factual information. The writing does not need to be complex or convoluted to appeal to an intelligent demographic. Good reporting means that all demographics will understand and appreciate the report. Complexity is not equivalent to quality. The Newcastle Herald seems to hit this mark fairly well. It does not often complicate issues or use perplexing language or complex sentences. It reaches its points with clarity, insight and brevity.

2/ In order to maintain objective journalism, reporters should inject their own personal opinions as little as possible. No matter how objective you believe your opinion may be, everyone has conscious and subconscious values, ideas, beliefs and prejudices which shape the way we view events. If reporters stick to the facts and concrete information they are ensuring ethical and accurate reporting.

3/ A global language is an idea which has begun to emerge over the past decade or so. While English is fast becoming this world language and globalisation is bringing many cultures and countries together in homogeny in some areas, countries should maintain their own specificities in language. Linguistic systems are in place to ensure shared cultural practices and understanding. They also help distinguish cultures from one another. Even variations in the same language can contribute to a great sense of nationalism and a sense of belonging.

4/ Newspapers most definitely have a serious commitment to accuracy. Reporting accurately is the expectation behind newswriting. People trust and believe in news as they implicitly think that the information they are consuming is truth. If this truth is compromised by a lack of accuracy, people will question the news they are shown. This will undermine the public's want of knowledge as they cannot know whether the information they receive is truth. Inaccurate reporting undermines public trust and integrity of a newspaper, as well as misleading others to perpetuate these mistakes.

5/ If I made a serious mistake in a story but nobody complained I would alert my sub-editor and leave the decision with them on whether to publish a correction or not. I would support the correction so that the truth is printed.