Journalists use a variety of information sources that can include but are not limited to documents, datasets, news articles, videos, and people. Information is created in published and unpublished formats with unique processes that can influence how journalists select and use information.
The journalism field recognizes that information is highly interconnected and is created in a variety of formats and modes of delivery. Journalists assess these information formats by looking at the various creation processes involved, usually for authoring content in their original reporting work. Assessment can include but is not limited to how the information was gathered and vetted, when it was collected, and who was collecting and publishing it. Understanding the creation and publishing processes is vital for fact-checking. Journalists value information sources that are transparent in how they were created to help them evaluate for quality, accuracy, and relevance in a story. Sources that are not as transparent or deemed unreliable may be used as a starting point, and then fact-checked through triangulation and other information; however novice reporters struggle with tracing information back to the original source. Novice journalists are beginning to understand the significance of public records but cannot always articulate what they are and why they are important. If deadlines allow, expert journalists take the time and legal action to sift through public information and request information to be made public by leveraging Freedom of Information (FOI) laws. Expert journalists understand that creation processes are fluid, and that the credibility of information sources can change as the processes change. Journalists who cover a specific topic or beat have specialized knowledge and familiarity with the formats valued and produced by the field they are covering. Additionally, investigative journalists may probe deeper into information verification, uncover difficult-to-locate material, gather facts from uncooperative human sources, or critically analyze complex systems of disinformation. Journalists develop skills to produce and publish information in a variety of formats, including packaging and disseminating the same news story across different platforms, which might affect how news consumers perceive the information from each format.
Journalists who are developing their information literate abilities
Journalists who are developing their information literate abilities
