Blog Post Why Does A Source For Any Story Matter For The Reporters?
A source/s of information is an important element of a journalist’s story. A reporter with a busy beat can not be present at every event or have details of everything that happens in his beat. This is where sources help a reporter get relevant information about the events that take place. A source can be anyone. In case of a crime, a witness becomes a source. Similarly, as per the requirement, a prominent public figure such as a politician or an official can also be a source.
Sources in journalism are valuable for reporters. Reporters cannot afford to indulge in malpractices or do inappropriate behavior with the sources. There are several guidelines to regulate the relationship between reporters and their sources. Some of these guidelines are as follows:
- A reporter shall never pay the source for any information.
- In case the source wants to remain anonymous, his/her name should not be published.
- A reporter should never publish personal chats or things that are “told off the record”.
- Reporters shall never do any favours for the sources in return for the information.
These guidelines emphasize the fact that sources are very important. We can further break down the importance of the sources in detail.
Maintain Authenticity:
A source can help a reporter gain trust of the audience. When a reporter credits the information to have been told by a public figure such as a minister or an official, the story becomes more believable. Similarly, the recent case of pandemics provides a great example of the importance of sources. Reporters in health beat were writing stories to make people aware of the coronavirus and its cure. They were using doctors and health officials for advice so that people take these reports seriously and follow protocols.
Verify Information
and tip-offs: As journalists move forward in their careers they make several contacts that are unofficial but provide them with tip-offs about events. Having a credible source helps a reporter verify the information and publish them as facts. Some sources may often engage in malpractices such as providing wrong information or engage in propaganda. Having multiple sources helps verify the information by comparing details provided by different sources.
Prevent malpractices
on the reporter’s part: A reporter might try to publish wrong information and unverified information. Reporters might try to add value to their report by mentioning a source even if they never talked. In such a case, news organizations, authorities, and even the general public can contact the source/s name and information can be verified. The position of a source itself such as a politician or an official prevents reporters from adding tint or as it is said in the common tongue “add spice” to the story.
Expert Opinion:
It is the job of a journalist to make people aware and give them the correct information. However, journalists are humans too. They have their thinking and understanding of society and politics. They might be prejudiced and have confirmation bias about things such as politics and legislation. Instead of giving his/her own opinions on a topic when a reporter talks to an expert, it prevents a journalist from publishing biased, misinformed, and in cases wrong views. Quoting an expert on any topic helps a journalist to maintain objectivity.
Bring down sophisticated crime nexus or expose scams:
It is said that journalism is a social service. It is considered the fourth pillar of democracy and a watchdog to look over the activities of politicians and officials. So it is a kind of social service that reporters do when they fill the gap in communication between the state and the public. It is a social service when journalists bring out secrets and information that the governments hide from the public. Scams and corruption engulf politics across the globe. No one would have believed that a President of the oldest democracy would be the main culprit in the Watergate Scandal if the sources who gave information were not credible. Similarly, in India sources inside the system helped bring out several corruptions in the telecom, coal, and defense industry.
The fact that there are proper codes of conduct when it comes to the source-journalist relationship talks in itself about the importance of sources of the story for the reporters. There are rules for communicating with each other, recording and publishing information. The above-mentioned points about authenticity, objectivity, and prevention of malpractices are the reason why sources of any story matter for the reporter.
Pitch:
Reporters can’t be present at every event or know all the important details about events that take place. Sources help a reporter get all the relevant information that can be used to write a report. Using multiple sources also further verifies a piece of information or a lead. A credible source such as a public figure or an expert makes a story more authentic for the readers.
