The new age of journalism is all about niches. Local papers are flourishing while national papers flounder. But niches aren’t just a good economic idea, I believe they could help prevent dire reporting mistakes from being made—the kind of reporting mistakes that may have contributed to 8,000 cases of whooping cough and 10 related deaths.
A British researcher faked data that showed a link between autism and childhood vaccines, which was then reported on by journalists. This scare caused a decline in the number of children getting immunizations, and more cases of whooping cough. (http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_17029488)
Here’s how niches could save the day: If publications kept one bright, intelligent expert (a niche reporter) in each of the fields they cover, then mistakes like this one would have a harder time getting through the system and out into public ears. Ideally, a science/health expert’s knowledge alone would be enough to question this report, but even if the expert didn’t have immediate knowledge on the subject, then they would have the background knowledge to research it themselves and confer with other scientific colleagues to find out the truth.
According to the World Federation of Science Journalists, specialists are
“valued advisors in newsrooms”, and are increasingly allowed to author articles without stories being handed of to a general reporter. (http://www.wfsj.org/news/news.php?id=200)
Journalists have a duty to question everything, and play watchdog on subjects like politics, but they also have a duty to question scientific findings, research material they don’t understand, and become a watchdog for the scientific community as well. The more intelligent and educated the next generation of reporters is, the less likely they are to be duped. Here’s hoping the rise of the niche will lead to the fall of reporting mistakes like this one.
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