Watching the watchdogs

Reporting in the era of  new media means the facts, the news, and the truth are continually refreshed.

Imagine a world where correcting an error is part of the daily process of compiling a story, where journalists are no longer shunned for recognizing a mistake and instead present their work to the public for collaborative fact-checking. In this world, everyone is an editor, and we are all independent monitors of the fourth estate.

This is the world imagined by Craig Silverman, the media-savvy mind responsible for the innovative site Regret the Error, an online monitor of minute-by-minute corrections in news outlets across the globe. The site links to tools like the Good the Bad and the Ugly, Reuters forum for reader feedback, and the San Francisco Chronicle's podcast Correct Me if I'm Wrong. 

In his new book "Regret the Error," Silverman argues that, "in this media era, people expect stories and information to be constantly updated; the correction is, in essence, a form of update, albeit one that addresses past error rather than breaking news. Corrections must not be ghettoized or hidden or perceived as punishment; rather, they should be part of the job of reporting and editing."

The world of journalism 2.0 opens new opportunities for news outlets to increase transparency, accuracy and public interaction. 

But before we can expect better accuracy and constant corrections, the mainstream media needs a mentality makeover-- a shift toward recognizing and incorporating the inevitability of human error in journalism, in which reporters are not afraid to publicly acknowledge their fallibility.  

Some news organizations, like Slate.com, the New York Times and the Toronto Star have already entered a world where online corrections are considered the norm in a mediascape of continuous reporting. 

These outlets allow readers to alert editors to any errors in stories and editors amend the story after a thorough fact check. This interaction facilitates one of the fundamental functions of the press --creating a forum for public discourse.

"The press can no longer hide its mistakes and errors, and journalists can no longer go about their daily work sequestered from their readers and the public at large," writes Silverman. "In a time of unprecedented news options for consumers, they will inevitably flock toward the sources they feel are the most trustworthy, the most accurate."

A world where corrections and transparency are the norm could refresh public faith in journalism because the public is watching  the watchdogs -- and everyone benefits from the dialogue.