About StinkyJournalism.org and Checkyourfacts.org
Not all journalism stinks. But there are times when reported "facts" smell fishy. When news stories go bad, the reporter’s method is usually to blame. At Stinkyjournalism.org we advocate for more rigorous - and scientific - journalistic methodology. Methods are objective, not people. From brief reports to continuing investigations, we hold the media accountable by examining concrete, measurable errors of fact and ethical breaches encountered in the press.
Stinkyjournalism, which merged with our former
media ethics blog, CheckYourFacts.org, in January
2008, is unique. Its mission differs from
other journalism sites in its focus on the knowable,
the testable, the verifiable—in short, the facts.
The intent of our case studies is to improve journalistic
fact-finding and fact-checking methods and practice.
Practical tools and discussions target the skills
needed by both readers and writers for testing
and discerning facts from lesser parcels of information.
The unsworn duty of a journalist is to "seek truth and report it." Journalists are equally obligated to "expose unethical practices of [fellow] journalists in the news media."
Yet how many times have you written a letter to the editor citing an objective, measurable error, which went ignored? Conversely, have you noted the power of a journalist's public voice? Compared to the impact of your letter, such inviolable "authority," access to millions of citizens, and permanence of their words on the Internet are daunting. As a private citizen, you may have felt extreme powerlessness because of this inequity.
It is often said that journalism holds up a mirror to society. But how can we, as citizens, without being censored, mirror our thoughts and feelings back to them as permanently and as powerfully?
Journalist and ethicist Roy Peter Clark, Vice-President and Senior Scholar of the Poynter Institute, warns the public to expect the media to publish their ethical policies and to "read them and hold us accountable." In "An Open Letter to Citizens" (a hypothetical editorial from "editors of your local newspapers" addressed to "fellow citizens"), Clark promises that as journalists, "We'll do our part. We promise, but we need you to do yours."
Another key mission is education. Our CheckYourFacts.org program is targeted at high school and college students, some of whom are interested in careers in journalism and new media, and others who are looking toward academia and private industry. The pursuit that unites them is to better understand how news is made, how it informs the world around them and how they, in turn, can inform the media. The CheckYourFacts.org program will include a curriculum guide and a blog for students to publish case studies on specific efforts to get corrections in the press.
About Publisher: Art Science Research Laboratory
Art Science Research Laboratory (ASRL) is a not-for-profit, 501(3)c, founded by Stephen Jay Gould, and Rhonda Roland Shearer in 1996. Initially funded with a significant grant from Paul Mellon, ASRL interns from various disciplines and local institutions including NYU and Columbia University work together on interdisciplinary investigative research with methods shared from technology, science, law and history. The research outcomes are then applied to the creation of jointly authored publications, educational curriculum, software, web sites, physical collections and archives. The overall institutional goal for every ASRL research project is the promotion of critical thinking and ethical practice. Our research projects also emphasize personal and group achievement and the breaking of boundaries between disciplines and concepts, such as junior and senior, private and public and—especially—art and science.
Phone: (212) 925-8812
Fax: (212) 925-0459
Email: info@asrlab.org
62 Greene Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10012
Go to Art Science Research Laboratory.Inc.
About ASRL’s Media Ethics Project
ASRL’s Media Ethics Project is an experiment in citizen empowerment, education and media accountability.
Our mission follows the Society of Professional Journalists statement that “public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy.” Our work also resonates with The Project for Excellence In Journalism’s statement that “a better understanding of press performance and its effect can lead to better journalism,” and recognize that the Internet offers the opportunity for everyone to participate.
We emphasize citizen participation in our programs. ASRL garnered “serious attention” from the Online Journalism Review for our web based “sourcebook.” This project, an interactive online database of our grassroots research, resulted in multiple corrections in the Atlantic Monthly, a lengthy rebuttal to our work in the afterword of William Langewiesche’s American Ground, and mention in Robert Boynton’s The New, New Journalism. Our web software, developed for the newly reconstructed Alexandria Library in Egypt, was recognized by the New York Times for its originality.
Education represents a key component of our mission. Our program allows high school students and college interns from local institutions to research and publish case studies on journalistic errors and current media issues.
While each case study project is unique in terms of content, all follow a straightforward 5-step process:
1. contrasting, comparing and synthesizing local, regional or national media reports on a single event
2. identifying discrepant facts among the reports
3. pursuing clarification of contradictory information among reports
4. informing media outlets of any errors and asking for corrections
5. publishing the case study (including documents and e-mail exchanges with editors) on the CheckYourFacts.org and Stinkyjournalism.org site
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