In my opinion
All the news that's fit to hack: When did "We got it first" replace "We got itright?"
A shocking allegation is rocking the world of journalism. Scotland Yard is investigating reports that the British newspaper News of the World interfered in the investigation of Milly Dowler, an English schoolgirl who was last seen alive in 2002 when she was abducted on her way home from school. News of the World is reported to have hired a private detective to hack into Dowler’s cell phone.
What’s even more disturbing is that its alleged journalists at the paper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, read and then deleted several of the girl’s messages in the days following her disappearance “in order to free up space for more messages,” inadvertently giving her family false hope that she may still be alive.
In today’s world of micro-blogging, tweets and instant-news, the pressure to beat the competition is fiercer than ever. The world of journalism continues to change, but the rules shouldn’t.
How could something like this happen?
The answer is simple; news organizations love to break a news story and get it first. Anyone who has ever visited London knows they love their newspapers and the competition is ferocious. Ride the Underground and you’ll see a plethora of papers being devoured by the news hungry patrons, but let’s not point the finger at just the Brits.
It was only a month ago when the local Houston media rushed to a property in Liberty County reporting that law enforcement officials were investigating the possibility of “mass graves." Live trucks, helicopters and team coverage followed the frenzy until we learned the tip came from a psychic and turned out to be false. Never mind that other news organizations from around the world picked up the report and posted on their websites.
News organizations love to promote “We got it first”, but when did that replace “We got it right”? In today’s world of micro-blogging, tweets and instant-news, the pressure to beat the competition is fiercer than ever. The world of journalism continues to change, but the rules shouldn’t.