College journalism professors and newspaper editors face a major effort in correcting the problem of only six percent of folks say they have a lot of confidence in news media, observed Grumpy Editor.
A study by the Media Insight Project, a partnership of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute indicated accuracy clearly is the most important component of trust.
The study found nearly 90 percent of Americans say it's extremely or very important that media get facts correct, adding they like news that is up to date, concise and with expert sources or documents cited.
About 60 percent of Americans watch, read or listen to news several times a day. Making it easier to keep up with news developments are computers, smart phones and tablets.
Meanwhile, those seeking a journalism job these days will find one of the requirements is proficiency in "data journalism," a term that will baffle old timers.
Data journalism is the use of data and number crunching to uncover, better explain and/or provide context to a news story. Emerging as a new branch of journalism, it involves checking the Internet, blogs, videos and social media.
Veteran news folks will say nothing beats getting full, accurate details more than going on scene and getting the facts, rather than sitting before a computer screen crunching data that involves use of statistics, charts, graphs or infographics and on-line (often questionable) material.
Remember, despite the spotlight on data journalism, 94 percent of people say they don't have trust in news media.
What do you think?
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IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...
Tough talk --- again. Over the weekend, North Korea’s foreign minister said the communist nation is ready to halt nuclear tests if the U.S. suspends its annual military exercises with South Korea. He also warned his country won’t be cowed by international sanctions…The Los Angeles Times, in its periodic effort to shake-up its readers, welcomed an Associated Press story with a headline that read: Major earthquake overdue in California's Eastern Sierra, study finds. The story mentioned a large earthquake along the California-Nevada line “where a magnitude 7 event expected on average every 30 years hasn't occurred in six decades”…TV news jumped all over a slip of the tongue in a speech by Donald Trump who mistakenly referred to the 9/11 attacks on New York City as 7/11 --- which media joyfully pointed out was the identification of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain…Booming employment? Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed one in five U.S. families in 2015 had no one who worked…Interesting to note that with 175 countries signing a UN climate change agreement, an Associated Press 12-paragraph story ran on front pages of some U.S. newspapers while The Wall Street Journal gave it four sentences at the bottom of an inside page…With the focus on politics and death of Prince, heavy flooding in Houston and surrounding Texas areas, was squeezed out of what normally would be heavy coverage. And no mention was made of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency, with an annual budget of more than $11 billion) coming to the rescue with aid to flood victims..
Those tempting newspaper coupons ---
A veteran Providence, R.I. police officer, nabbed in a sting, is accused of breaking into a newspaper distribution facility to steal inserts, fliers and coupons that go into newspapers.
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