Media must uphold accurate reporting

Media must uphold accurate reporting. Photo by Rachel Mabala

What you need to know:

  • Any reporter and editor knows that all information received needs to be checked and verified before it goes up on any platform for the public to read. This applies too, to social media. As journalists, we need to protect the profession and keep the public’s trust. If we post anything we think or feel is true without crosschecking and verifying to the best of our ability, we do everyone a disservice.

On Sunday, the beautiful grass-thatched roof of the gazebo at Watoto Church North – Ntinda collapsed. The heavy rain and wind was the cause of the fall. Chairs were broken and the roof disintegrated. Luckily, no one was in the gazebo at that time and so no one was hurt. What is disturbing though is how people on social media treated the picture of the collapsed roof when it was sent to their in boxes.

Earlier in the day, people started saying the roof of the church building had collapsed, which was wrong; it was the roof of the gazebo. As the day went on, the narrative continued to change and get wilder. One person tweeted the picture saying: “Part of the palace that was destroyed in Kasese clashes.” Many retweeted him. Another person tweeted: “Palace has been bombed by dictator #Museveni. Bullets, bombs, military, fighter jets, gunners.”

To say that this tweet was reckless would be an understatement. What is more disappointing is that some of these tweets were coming from media personalities.

Any reporter and editor knows that all information received needs to be checked and verified before it goes up on any platform for the public to read. This applies too, to social media. As journalists, we need to protect the profession and keep the public’s trust. If we post anything we think or feel is true without crosschecking and verifying to the best of our ability, we do everyone a disservice.

The dictionary defines a rumour as “a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth”. So when a person posts comments on things they are not sure of, they are spreading rumours. Gossip on the other hand is defined as “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true”. So when someone retweets a tweet that states something as fact, when they themselves do not have proof of it, they are gossiping.
There is no question that the media has an obligation to keep the public informed about events in the public arena and which are of concern to the people. But the media must ensure to follow the rules set out in the different editorial policies. In this day of instant news, we must always remember, “Accuracy before speed”.

The issue: Misinformation.
Our view: There is no question that the media has an obligation to keep the public informed about events in the public arena and which are of concern to the people. But the media must ensure to follow the rules set out in the different editorial policies. In this day of instant news, we must always remember, “Accuracy before speed”.