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3.4.5: What Makes Quality News Sources

  • Page ID
    269701
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    Journalistic Standards

    While fact-checking strategies such as SIFT are useful for news sources as well as many other types of sources, it is also helpful to be able to identify the characteristics of quality news sources.

    Quality Sources: VIAbility

    The Digital Resource Center at Stony Brook University uses the acronym V.I.A. to describe journalistic standards -- the characteristics shared by trustworthy media companies and creators. Media outlets that create reliable news are committed to Verification, Independence, and Accountability (Digital Resource Center).

    a venn diagram with three circles labeled Verification, Independence, and Accountability overlapping to form Reliable News in the middle

    Verification

    Criteria

    The media outlet uses evidence from multiple credible sources to demonstrate the accuracy or truth of the claims they make in their reporting.

    Things to Look For
    • The source provides links to their sources, or gives enough information about them that you can find them yourself
    • The source relies on evidence from verifiable experts in the field
    • The source relies on research published in scholarly journals
    Things to Avoid
    • Sources that make claims without providing any evidence for them
    • Phrases such as "multiple sources," "many experts," or "multiple studies" without any specific information about those sources, experts, or studies
    • Sources whose "evidence" only links to other sources from their own website or organization

    Independence

    Criteria

    The media outlet:

    • is free from outside control or influence
    • makes a conscious effort to set aside preexisting beliefs
    • uses checks and balances to reduce bias
    Things to Look For
    • A named author whose identity and credentials can be verified by other sources (such as Wikipedia)
    • Transparency about the author and/or media outlet's political or professional affiliations, relationships with advertisers, etc.
    Things to Avoid
    • Sources whose authors and/or affiliations cannot be identified
    • Groups whose primary goal is to sell products directly related to their reporting (e.g. "Studies prove that this rare mushroom will increase your life span! Click the link to buy it from us.")

    Accountability

    Criteria

    The media outlet:

    • takes responsibility for their work
    • acknowledges mistakes and makes corrections
    Things to Look For
    • Media outlets that have a history of correcting mistakes in previous work
    • Journalist and/or media outlets that share their contact information so mistakes can be communicated
    Things to Avoid
    • Sources created by individuals or groups that cannot be contacted
    • Groups that consistently dismiss or attack all evidence that challenges their claims

    Sources

    Digital Resource Center. (n.d.). V.I.A. Stony Brook University.


    3.4.5: What Makes Quality News Sources is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ellen Carey.

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