For instance, it may be more effective (PDF) to “name and shame” dishonest politicians and pundits who promote misinformation. Doing so could increase the reputational costs of false claims and thereby help change future elite behavior. These effects will be compounded if corrections help to create an elite consensus rejecting a particularly notorious false claim, which can shape public opinion and create pressure on individual political figures to not make false statements. Even if corrections are sometimes ineffective at the individual level, fact-checking efforts that change the balance of elite beliefs on an issue can have powerful effects.
Swing States Project
Campaign Desk, Swing States Project — February 29, 2012 10:52 AM
Countering Misinformation: Tips for Journalists
Avoid negations, use graphics, and get the story right the first time!
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Good tips. You might want to suggest using www.votesmart.org to help with the fact-checking.
#1 Posted by Joanie Davis, CJR on Fri 2 Mar 2012 at 05:54 PM
Is there any clearer reason than your article as to why amateurs are causing some of the problems in the media? If, after so much time has elapsed since the start of widespread citizen-journalism, you must state a tip to "Use credible sources," maybe your last tip should be to "When unsure, leave your pen and notebook at home and see a movie instead."
My advice is to read Eric Hoffer's True Believer, get a better perspective on big-picture happenings and to be suspect of everyone.
By the way, votesmart.org is far from an objective source for facts. A simple review of the founders will elucidate this.
#2 Posted by Ed, CJR on Tue 6 Mar 2012 at 06:16 PM