[MUSIC] As journalists we try to achieve fairness and balance in reporting about controversies and disagreements. Our own opinions whether they're based on politics or personal preference, or religious faith or family or financial self interest should not undermine our duty to provide objective coverage for our audience. Achieving fairness requires us to draw from news sources with different points of view. So the two concepts of fairness and balance are related to each other. But they are not identical. Fairness usually means the simple inclusion of the other side in stories about conflict or controversy. Balance concerns how equally both sides are treated in our coverage. Here's a simple example. Suppose you're working on an article, about the debate concerning a controversial new highway project. The highway would be built through a low-income neighborhood and force thousands of poor people to move, but the project also would clear land to construct factories with hundreds of new jobs. Fairness means your news report will include both sides in the debate. Arguments by sources that favor the highway, arguments by sources who oppose it. Balance means that the opposing sides get roughly equal space or broadcast time in your coverage. Therefore a story that gave only 10% of it's airtime to arguments in favor of the project and 90% to the opposing arguments. Would be fair, but it would not be balanced. Now there's no rigid formula, no mathematical formula for balance, such as 45%, 55%, or 50-50. But do your best to give your audience approximately equal amounts of information. On the opposing viewpoints and opinions. It's also important to remember that an individual story may be out of valid but your organization's overall coverage of the issue is balanced. Most of our news reports are event-driven. So we often see that situation in election story. Here's an example. If a candidate for president gives a major speech about nuclear energy or climate change, and that is the most newsworthy political event of the day, that candidate's speech would dominate one story. With only a small amount of attention to the opposing candidates view. If the opposing candidate releases a major position paper about climate change a week later that position paper would dominate the news that day. But over the campaign period which lasts weeks and months both candidates would end up with about equal attention. There are many times when a journalist on deadline cannot directly reach a news maker or the news maker's spokespeople to get an interview or even a press release or an emailed comment. However, the story still needs that news maker's perspective or comments as a matter of fairness. When that happens what can you do regardless of whether the news maker is an individual, a business, a government agency, or an association. Here is suggestions to add that necessary fairness to your coverage. In all these situations be sure to attribute the information. Previous interviews, you and your colleagues may have notes, audio, or video from earlier interview. In which that newsmaker discussed the topic you're writing or broadcasting about. You can attribute the information this way, in an earlier interview, she said. Speeches and public statements, newspapers frequently make speeches and issue public statements that journalists can use in future news reports. For example, in a January 15th speech to Parliament the Prime Minister said, position papers. Government agencies and ministries, associations, political parties often prepare formal position papers that express and detail their viewpoint on a controversial issue and the reason they hold that position. For example, the labor priorities 2016 white paper and homelessness said, letters. Newsmakers often write letters expressing their opinions to their constituents, to the voters, to legislators, to shareholders, to associations. For example, in a letter to the governor, the mayor asked for TV and radio appearances. The newsmaker who didn't return your phone call or e-mail may give interviews to other news organizations. You may be able to use short excerpts and quotes from those interviews if you credit the other news organization. For example, appearing on the BBC radio program the World, the president of the company said, company reports, major businesses release reports to government agencies and to their shareholders, be a stockholder. You can quote from those for example, in it's latest annual report, the company said, court documents. Lawyers may advise newsmakers not to talk to the press about criminal investigations or lawsuits. Making it impossible for you to get an interview with those newsmakers. But in many of those situations there are legal documents in public court files you can read and use. Depending on your country and the type of case, the documents may be available online. Otherwise, you might need to visit the court or the court clerk's office to see them. [MUSIC]
