Monday, July 23, 2012

Quote APPROVAL!?! You've got to be kidding...



“If a public official wants to use NJ as a platform for his/her point of view, the price of admission is a quote that is on-record, unedited and unadulterated.”  -- National Journal memo quoted in New York Times


Journalism is in the midst of massive change and tough times... but...

Quote approval?

We're now learning that the quotes we see in the New York Times, and probably everywhere else, have been "approved" by some political flak in the politician's entourage.

Thank god a few outlets like the National Journal are saying, 'no thanks.'

Of course politicians and corporate presidents want to control how they are quoted. But, in the past, at least at the lower levels, they were told such a thing as controlling quotes by editing them on publication was against editorial policy. As reporters, we usually pushed this back on our editors. "I just can't do that," I've said many times, "because if I do, my editor will fire me."

Apparently, it doesn't work that way at the higher levels.

Now, allow me to make an important distinction here. The word 'approval' is critical. When we were confronted by a source who demanded control of quotes in exchange for interviews, we usually had the option of offering to 'read' the quotes in the story back to the source before we published. 'Read' is a very long distance from 'approve'. In fact, those policies -- though not universal -- often allowed the reporter to get even more juicy information and also clarify what she had in the first place. We just treated it like a good second interview.

Granting approval to a source is completely different.

This is all about competition, which is generally a good thing. What has happened here, however, is that politicians have figured out how to play one weak willed news organization, one lazy reporter, against another.  This has long been a problem with the ubiquitous beat system at news organizations. Your editor says, "Lofflin, stand up to 'em. Do what's right and if they shut you out, we'll give you another beat."

Right.

That, of course, is a rotten deal. I have to learn a new beat. I may have spent a decade learning this one. And learning a beat is tough. It not only means learning stuff, it means cultivating sources, and cultivating sources is roughly the equivalent of growing tomatoes in this wretched heat. And, especially if your beat is a plum, you will be violently adverse to such a change. If your beat happens to be the White House, well, there are no comparable beats to compensate you for standing your ground.

You learn to play ball. You play ball as little as possible, work your charm, soften the effect of bad news with plenty of push back from the sources you have to hurt, give a few nasty findings -- the small ones -- street paroles. Ultimately, the news is tainted by the beat system combined with the limits of personal integrity.

But, giving final approval of quotes to sources in exchange for access takes 'tainted' up a level. Kind of the way an Atlas rocket takes a capsule up a level.

It's time for principles to dominate. Put another way, it's time for the big national news outfits to grow a pair. If the majors stood together against this silliness, it would stop. If the editors of the majors simply made approval of quotes a major offense, it would stop. Because, in the end, the politicians and the corporations need the majors as much, or more, than the majors need them.

And, herein, lies another solution. What we really need today are reporters who file stories based on depth of research rather than access to politicians. We need depth journalism, not 140-character journalism. And, at the economic heart of this -- because everything does come down to money, thank you Cindy Lauper -- is a simple reality. The people who pay for news aren't after those gotcha quotes. They buy substance. In fact, in the Internet age, substance may be the only thing they will actually buy.

They can get all the 140-character quotes they want from the infernal crawl under the news talker or from Google headlines. They don't need a news organization for that.

Especially, they don't need a news organization whose quotes are no more than political public relations. The age of single source, catchy quote journalism is over. The majors just don't know it yet.

--Lofflin


11 comments:

  1. Intended to leave a salient (and pithy!) observation until I saw your comment system doesn't allow me (in perpetuity) to revise it...

    >

    At University, where I knew far more than I do now, it was explained that one could call a subject of a story and read them what would be printed in order to include their reaction (if any), but original quotes would always STET.

    Reality after University was amazingly, quickly disappointing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nick, that's interesting. I guess my old school is showing. We were allowed to read quotes and nothing else. In a system like you describe, I can't imagine anything would ever actually get finished. I remember several years ago signing a contract to write some freelance stuff for a magazine in New York and the contract included a clause prohibiting me from showing or reading any part of the article to a source. Hmmmmm...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I enjoy lοoking through a post that will make рeoρlе thіnk.
    Alsο, manу thanks for allowing me to comment!
    Here is my blog post : how to stop snoring

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd like to thank you for the efforts you've put in ρеnnіng this blog.
    I really hope to check out the ѕame hіgh-grade blog posts by you in thе futuгe аs ωell.

    In tгuth, yοur creative writіng abіlities has inѕpired me to
    gеt my own blog now ;)
    Look at my webpage ... best payday loans

    ReplyDelete
  5. I thinκ what yοu sаid mаde
    a bunch of ѕenѕе. But, ωhаt about thiѕ?

    supρoѕе yοu ωere to creatе a awesome heaԁline?

    I аin't saying your content isn't solid., hοωeveг supposе yοu addеd something
    that makеs peoρle want moгe? I mean "Quote APPROVAL!?! You've got to be kidding..."
    iѕ a little vanillа. Үοu оught
    to pеeκ at Үаhοο's front page and note how they write article headlines to grab viewers interested. You might add a video or a related pic or two to grab people interested about what you'ѵe ωгitten.
    In my opіnion, it ωοuld mаke
    your blog a littlе livelieг.
    Also see my website > loans for bad credit

    ReplyDelete
  6. I alwayѕ emаiled thiѕ web site post pаgе to all my associates, sinсe if likе tο read it next my linkѕ
    ωill tоο.

    my blog: New Bingo Sites
    My page - New Bingo Sites

    ReplyDelete
  7. hello there and thаnκ you for your info – I've certainly picked up something new from right here. I did however expertise a few technical issues using this site, as I experienced to reload the site a lot of times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and could damage your quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Well I'm
    аdԁing this RSS to my email anԁ coulԁ
    loοk out for much more of your reѕpective fаѕсinаtіng content.
    Make sure you update thiѕ again vегy soon.


    My websіte ... quick cash
    Stop by my weblog - quick cash

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ηеllο, I еnjoy rеading thгоugh уouг aгticlе post.
    I likе tο wгіte а lіttle comment to
    suppогt уou.

    Here іѕ my websitе: Engagement Rings
    Stop by my blog - Engagement Rings

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ι truly loνе your site.. Рleasant colorѕ & theme.
    Did you develop this аmazіng ѕite youгself?
    Please reply back as I'm hoping to create my very own website and would like to know where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Cheers!

    My site Eternity rings

    ReplyDelete
  10. This poѕt will assist the inteгnеt people fοr creating new weblog οr eνen а blog fгom stаrt to end.


    Visit mу ωeb site quick payday loans

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ιts lіκе you read my minԁ!
    You ѕeem tο knοw so much аbout thiѕ, likе you wrοte the book in it or something.
    I thinκ that yοu coulԁ do with some pics to drive the meѕѕage homе a lіttlе
    bit, but otheг than that, this is wonԁеrful blog.
    Α great reаd. I will certainly be back.


    Also ѵisit mу ѕіte :: diet

    ReplyDelete