by Susan Moore

Created on: January 04, 2009

What do I owe a free press?

I grew up listening to network news and reading Hunter S. Thomson and P.J. O'Rourke. I learned from them that all journalists have their own rice bowl and their own attitudes that will find a way into their work. This is not the exclusive domain of either our citizen journalists or our giant media outlets.

The question of trustworthiness is my problem to solve. It is the glorious cost of a free and unfettered press. Anyone can say, can write and can believe anything they wish. I have the responsibility to investigate the writer or the statement. As they say in the U.S. Army, freedom isn't free.

Now, that's a lot of homework for our busy lives. But here we are, in this amazing time, with databases that offer the history of everything at our fingertips. If a journalistic statement raises our interest or our eyebrows how much time would it take to investigate the individual or the corporation that presented the statement? Having done our bit of homework, paid our dues for our free press, we might come away with a new idea and a new source. That source, citizen or professional, individual or organization is the prize.

Reading and listening critically allows us to limit our efforts even further. Are there questions presented that communicate more about the journalist expectation or desire? During the immediate Hurricane Ike recovery effort in Houston, we were watching the continuous coverage on TV. The family beach house (shack?) was in the direct path of the monster and we were desperate for any news. Aerial views kept coming on of a long line of people who were waiting for a FEMA station to open. The people in line were orderly, seemed patient and were talking with one another. I watched with a great sense of pride as my fellow Texans responded like citizen soldiers. A reporter eventually arrived at the scene. The first question she asked was "How angry are you at having to wait out here like this? Don't you think this could have been better planned?" In two sentences she tried to turn the citizen soldiers into victims of something more than a wall of water. She was a credentialed professional. The people she interviewed did not provide her with any support on her approach. This source had an obvious bias.

A citizen journalist was the one who a few days later matched an aerial map of the devastation with street addresses. This citizen journalist was our source to learn that our beloved little place no longer existed. The same citizen journalist gave us the information to able to check on our dear neighbors. This source, on this topic, was informative and timely. We were able to verify all of the information without going into the danger zone. As a fan of credentials, this was an extremely valuable lesson.

Looking further, learning more is our responsibility. We, as the consumers of journalism, have options. We get to say what outlets and providers we trust.

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