Newspapers have worked on a set standard of how to operate for a very long time. Depending on the size of a news organization, there is a protocol on how to disseminate information timely and accurately among a certain number of people.
The simple observation is: Every newspaper is run through a copy desk to ensure the integrity of the news gathering process. These people are the second, third and sometimes fourth eyes on everything editorial in the paper. Needless to say, they’re critical to the editorial process and integrity.
So what happens when they’re taken out of the loop? That’s where we’re headed as newspapers continue to whittle down to bare bones resources and push for online content first — and most certainly without the proper vetting. This article for Voices serves well to highlight the issue.
It’s just another reminder that journalists are as much aware of the consequences of a news organization’s editorial integrity as members of the concerned public. I don’t doubt that those same members would be willing to invest more money in a high quality, localized product — wherever the market. So long as there is trust and accuracy along with its output.
In my mind, integrity should come first.
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