Biography for Kellie Riordan

Twitter: @kellieriordan
Email: riordan.kellie@gmail.com
Phone: +61 421 648997 / +617 3311 4833

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/
Twitter: @risj_oxford



ACCURACY, INDEPENDENCE, AND IMPARTIALITY: How legacy media and
digital natives approach standards in the digital age

By Kellie Riordan, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Executive Summary: In the digital age, one of the most complex challenges for
media outlets is how to re-shape the editorial responsibilities of journalism itself.
Which journalistic standards, many devised last century, still fit in the digital age?
And which standards form the basis of a new type of journalism being pioneered by
hybrid news sites that have come of age in the digital era?

Focusing on the key editorial standards of accuracy, independence, and impartiality,
the paper examines how these three principles are approached in the digital era.

The paper then focuses specifically on three legacy organisations (the Guardian, the
New York Times, and the BBC) and three digital outlets (Quartz, BuzzFeed, and Vice
News). What can legacy organisations with hundreds of years of history learn from
digital natives? Which traditional journalistic standards held by legacy organisations
should be more firmly adopted by newcomers?

Finally, this paper argues a third form of journalism is emerging; one that combines
the best of legacy standards and the new approaches of digital natives. Such a hybrid
form requires a more streamlined set of editorial standards that fit the internet era.


7 key findings:


1. Digital brings new ways to uphold editorial standards

The arrival of a hyper-linked web has given audiences greater access to a range of
facts, data, and opinions. Digital natives such as ProPublica, Quartz, FiveThirtyEight,
and Vox reveal their workings to build trust, while Grantland and Upworthy deliver
corrections that provide context. Editorial strengths the digital era offers include:
Using hyperlinks to demonstrate accuracy and openness
Greater context and timeliness for online corrections
An inclusion of more voices which aids plurality
Transparency in addition to (not in place of) impartiality.
2. Verification, blurring of content types, and native ads threaten standards

However, there are risks for editorial standards in the digital age, such as:

Speed and virality can threaten fairness and accuracy
A lack of linear structure means all content is flattened out. Distinguishing
between content types is difficult for outlets committed to impartiality
Native advertising and an increase in PR-driven journalism may prevent
audiences from making informed choices about what to believe and why.
3. Standards applied to social and data journalism need further consideration

The way figures are selected, interpreted, and analysed affects how they are
presented to the audience. What conclusions are drawn from data and how to
present such findings remains a challenge.

Further, organisations must continue to refine social media guidelines for journalists.
With the rise of super-bloggers it is even more crucial that journalists write with a
distinctive voice, but do so based in professional judgment.

4. Standards must fit the digital age

It is crucial all media outlets ask if legacy guidelines fit the ethos of digital content
production. Not all editorial standards are fit for purpose in the digital era.

The non-profit Online News Association (ONA) is doing great work in this area by
developing a DIY kit of ethics that sets out some principles as core, and others as to
be determined by the organisation or individual journalist.

5. A third form of news provider is emerging

Digital natives such as Quartz, Vox, and ProPublica are forging a new type of
journalism which combines editorial integrity with a tone and presentation that is
more of the web. It is increasingly important for legacy organisations to refine their
standards to fit the digital era. Without adapting, they risk losing younger audiences
to the wide array of other choices online.

6. Business site Quartz shows how standards can adapt to meet the new era
Being digitally native has unshackled Quartz from 20
th
century editorial standards
that simply dont fit the nature of the web. They provide interesting, digestible
content that is easily shareable, based on their editorial obsessions. Quartz does this
while still offering:
Links to primary sources of information
Swift, native correction of mistakes, with context
A breadth of viewpoints which shows plurality of perspectives
Transparency and a show your work ethos when coming from a viewpoint
Open-source journalism and interaction provided by their online annotations.
7. Adapted editorial standards will allow outlets to build audience and brand trust

The emergence of any third form of publisher has the advantage of taking the most
relevant editorial standards of the past, while introducing new ways to establish
credibility. Therefore, any new form of standards should prioritise:
Greater transparency
More open forms of journalism (open source, open code, open data)
A voice that is of the web, driven largely by individual reporters rather than
news brands
Analysis that is facts-driven rather than opinionative
A greater breadth of ideas and perspectives
Content which is highly shareable via social platforms, but still accurate
Interaction which places the reader as an expert
Better provision of context.