One guiding principle for all news organizations should be the truth

Best way to draw a crowd in Lake Luzerne is to wear a dress

By Ken Tingley

When we interviewed readers to be on our editorial board years ago, we found they were curious about how things worked at the newspaper.

They wondered how we chose our stories, who did the editing and what went into choosing what went on the front page.

The process seemed to be a mystery to most people, and they were looking for some answers.

Some were cynical and believed reporting was only used to confirm what we already believed rather than the other way around.

What they found in our editorial board meetings were editors and reporters who wanted to get it right, who were curious about the world around them and realized they did not know everything.

I think it surprised people that news decisions were not based on an ideology or perspective and that we were always on the lookout for bias. That was unacceptable.

When you read a newspaper or view a news program on television, you are putting your trust in the media outlet because you believe they are a credible source.

Your standards should be high.

You should minimally demand truth and accuracy.

That’s what’s on trial beginning Monday as Fox News defends itself against accusations it defamed Dominion Voting Systems.

This trial will allow jurors - and the general public - to peek behind the curtain of a national news operation and not only see how it works, but what standards it applies to make sure it is telling its audience the truth.

In short: Is it being straight with them?

In this case, Fox viewers may not like what they see.

The judge in the case has already ruled that statements aired by Fox News about Dominion Voting Systems were false. The jury has to decide if Fox deliberately aired falsehoods.

Reporters and editors at my newspaper were told lots of sensational stories over the years. Printing them might have even sold us a few more newspapers. But if those stories did not hold up to scrutiny, they were not printed.

It was important to get the story right.

We didn’t always get the story right, but when we made mistakes we corrected them in print. What business do you know that does that? Newspapers do that because it is critical to protect our credibility at all costs.

From what has been revealed so far in the Dominion lawsuit, that is not the way Fox News operates.

It’s been airing news that was not only false, but doubted by some of its biggest commentators, producers and executives.

There was fear ratings would go down and the stock price suffer if its mostly conservative audience was not told information it wanted to hear.

That’s a slippery slope for any news organization, and a mudslide for democracy.

What we have not heard in court documents is a healthy dose of skepticism for Fox officials.

We have not heard a lot from Fox officials about making sure they got it right.

Fox News viewers need to pay close attention to this story. The lawsuit is not pitting conservative vs. liberal ideology against each other, this is about a media organization intentionally misleading its audience.

That should never be tolerated.

This goes beyond opinion.

We are living through a time where reporters are sometimes not believed and the general public has a difficult time discerning fact from fiction.

That cannot continue for democracy to survive.

Freedom of the press needs to be protected, but deliberately lying is a step too far.

Perhaps the greatest irony is that news network peddling “fake news” accusations was doing just that.

Young energy

A quick shout out to Mary Christopher’s journalism class at Utica University.

For the second year in a row I was a guest speaker last week and each time I was greeted with a youthful energy that is almost impossible to duplicate anywhere but in a college classroom.

The class listened to my presentation about newspapers and the value of journalism they do and followed up with great questions.

I’m sure those that are journalism majors are often questioned by family and friends about their possible career choice.

But when you have the passion, it usually means you are on the right track.

The folks in Mary Christopher’s class seemed to be on the right track.

Luzerne protest

I was kind of surprised 40 people turned out for a board meeting at the Rockwell Falls Public Library in Lake Luzerne last week.

The library invited me to speak there last year, but only two people showed up to hear me.

I figured there wasn’t a lot of support for library programs in Lake Luzerne, or maybe they just didn’t know it was there.

The 40 people last week turned out to protest a drag queen story hour for children at the library.

That gave me an idea. If I’m lucky enough for the library to invite me to speak again about my second book, maybe the best way to draw a crowed in Lake Luzerne is to announce I will be wearing a dress.

Athletes are different

Since my son moved to New Orleans last year I’ve been following its NBA team from afar.

Zion Williamson, who was a player of the year at Duke a few years ago, is their big star. Over Thanksgiving, our entire family went to see the New Orleans Pelicans - and Zion - play the Golden State Warriors.

Zion and the Pelicans were impressive.

But in early January, Zion strained a hamstring. It was supposed to be a minor injury that would sideline him a couple weeks, but he re-injured the leg and missed the rest of the regular season.

So facing a one-game playoff last week, Zion warmed up before the game and threw down a windmill dunk. He looked like he was ready to go.

When asked about his condition before the game, he said “Physically I’m fine, now it’s just a matter of … when I feel like Zion.”

The Pelicans are a very good team when Williamson is in the lineup, but fairly mediocre without him. Zion didn’t feel Zion in that one-and-done game and the Pelicans lost by five points to end their season.

Have professional athletes changed?

I wondered if Zion ever heard the story about an injured Willis Reed limping out onto the court in the NBA finals to inspire his team on one leg. I guess, Willis felt like Willis that night.