ANALYSIS: Why proper reporting matters

We all know what fake news is, or think we do. The term rose to prominence during the American presidential race last year, when a series of bizarre news stories appeared on social media and on websites claiming to be genuine news sites.

They included headlines such as 'Pope Francis shocks world, endorses Donald Trump for president' and 'ISIS leader calls for American Muslim voters to support Hillary Clinton'.

Neither of these stories were true. But they, and countless others like them, had the superficial appearance of truth. And the way they were shared and clicked on and liked online added to that appearance.

Fake news takes many forms and operates at several levels, however. As we wrote on Wednesday when we launched our campaign, "at its most extreme and democratically destructive, it (fake news) comprises deliberately and maliciously contrived statements which are cynically distributed in the guise of real news with the aim of deceiving for political or financial gain.

"More frequently, it is an unsubstantiated rumour indiscriminately posted on social media sites which rapidly gains credence, to the distress of those featured in it and the alarm of all who read it. Repetition through ‘shares’ and ‘likes’ adds an undeserved authority. Comment, unlabelled as such, masquerades as truth; satire is confused with reality."

One of the dangers, when we blur the distinction between what is truth and what is not, is that it becomes easier for politicians and those with an agenda to make false claims, or to undermine facts which to them are inconvenient. Opinion becomes confused with fact. We saw that from both sides during the referendum campaign last year.

So it is enormously important to stand up for truth. And that's why professional journalism matters.

So what makes the stories reported on in The Press - both in print and online - different?

Several things. We check facts, for a start: we don't simply report rumours. We say where we got information from, quoting named sources (unless there are very strong reasons for keeping a source anonymous). We don't just print press releases and pass them off as news: we ask questions, try to look as much at what is not said in a release as what is, and seek a balancing view from other sources. We seek always to report both sides of a story; and we clearly differentiate between news (carried on news pages) and comment such as leader columns, the letters page and the regular columnist's slot.

Fine words: but how does it work in practice? Here are a few recent front page news stories from The Press...

Sinking Feeling, Monday May 1

Definitely not fake news this - though many might wish it was. York City were relegated to National League North after drawing their last game of the season 2-2 at home to Forest Green. We reported this fact: but, in six pages of coverage, we also looked at the impact the relegation would have on devastated fans, on the club, and on the city.

Our coverage included a powerful interview with manager Gary Mills, in which he apologised to supporters for failing to keep their beloved club up. That interview at times made for emotional reading. "It hurts," Mills said. "I want to say sorry that I couldn't do it for the fans." But the fact we reported emotional statements like that doesn't make it fake news. We were reporting Mills' reaction to a known fact: that his club had been relegated. The way he responded spoke volumes about his dedication, and his suitability for the job should be remain as manager next year.

Speeding A19 Death Crash Driver Jailed, April 29

This report was filed by a Press reporter who sat in York Crown Court and made a full note of the details of the case against motorist Ryan David Jones, 24, from Fostergate, Selby, who was jailed for killing a pedestrian while speeding.

Every aspect of the report was based on detailed, carefully taken notes. What's more, we took care to include the full name, age, and address of the defendant. This is done to ensure that, if there are other people called Ryan Jones living locally, they will not be confused with the man responsible for killing an innocent man out walking his dog, and so will not be blamed unfairly.

Nestlé set to axe 160 jobs at York factory, April 26

We had a tip-off that Nestlé was considering laying off a large number of its York-based staff. We did not just immediately report this as 'news', however. We waited until we had spoken to Nestlé to confirm the information, agreed not to run the story until the company had first spoken to its staff, and then reported full details of the company's plans to cut 143 jobs at its York factory, as well as 23 people in the 'back office'. The figures came from Nestlé itself, and we included a statement from the company explaining why it was considering the move, why it felt the job losses were necessary, and how it was unrelated to Brexit. We also reported the unions’ shock and anger at the news, and got reaction from local politicians. We were careful to make clear, both in the report and headline, that no final decision had yet been made - that 'set to' in the headline.

Ill patients may be moved out of York, April 24

We learned that the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which effectively pays for health services in the York area, was considering sending some people with long-term conditions such as dementia to care homes outside the immediate York area. This was one part of a measure to save almost £50 million. We got a full statement from the CCG explaining the proposals and the reasons for them, and also sought reaction from concerned local organisations such as Age UK and the Alzheimer's Society, so as to provide as balanced a picture as possible about the exact nature of the proposals, the reasons for them, and the impact they could have.

Young mum Tacy still stuck in 'haunted' flat, May 4

This must be fake news, surely? Well, no. You may or may not believe in ghosts, but Tacy Bruce does, and her belief that the council flat in which she lives with her one-year-old son is haunted is clearly causing her genuine anguish. Her story raises important issues about what constitute sufficient reasons for the city council to re-house someone. We reported Tacy's fears, and also the council's response, which included details of the criteria it uses when deciding whether to move someone.

CAMPAIGNING AND HOLDING TO ACCOUNT

As a responsible local newspaper dedicated to informing readers about important events and holding those in authority locally to account, we do not simply report daily news events. We also campaign on local issues; follow important stories as they develop and evolve over time; and provide analysis.

Here are a few examples from recent years:

CAMPAIGNS

A campaign is about raising awareness of an issue, and lobbying for something to change. It does involve a newspaper taking a stance. But it is not about fake news. We campaign on issues that we believe are of real importance to readers, and we identify stories related to a campaign as being part of that campaign, usually through a clearly defined logo that sits prominently on the page.

Recent campaigns have included:

The Road to Justice. We launched a campaign on October 12 last year calling on the Government to to rewrite sentencing guidelines to enable judges to impose tougher sentences on motorists who kill or seriously injure others as a result of careless or dangerous driving. The campaign was inspired by cases such as that of Linda Atkinson, who suffered life-changing injuries after her moped was hit by Stephen Bridton. Bridton was jailed for two years and eight months, but Linda's family believed it should have been longer.

Over several weeks, we highlighted numerous cases of speeding, dangerous or careless drivers who received short or lenient sentences despite injuring or killing innocent people. On December 5, the Government announced that it would be changing the sentencing guidelines. We don't claim that was because of our campaign: but the pressure from victims whose voices were reported in newspapers like ours across the country will certainly have contributed to the Government's decision.

Take Care 

We have campaigned for years to raise awareness of the dangers of York's rivers. We relaunched that campaign, under the slogan 'Take Care', in April 2014 following the tragic death of York St John University student Megan Roberts. We continue to raise awareness of the dangers of the citys two rivers to this day.

DEVELOPING STORIES

When an issue is important enough, and affects enough readers, we don't run one story and then forget about it. We follow developments, ask questions, and put those in authority on the spot. Recent examples include:

• Mental health services in York following the closure of Bootham Park Hospital. We have followed every twist and turn of this ongoing story, from the initial announcement of the closure, to concerns about the welfare of patients being sent to mental hospitals far away from York, to proposals for a new, replacement mental health hospital.
• Flooding. We reported on the devastating impact of the Boxing Day floods in 2015, of course. But we didn't forget the issue once the floodwaters had receded. We highlighted the efforts of volunteers to help with the clean-up; followed the struggle of flood victims to get their lives back on track; reported on concerns about the lack of availability of insurance for some businesses; and examined Environment Agency proposals to strengthen York's flood defences for the future. We also looked at what went wrong on Boxing Day. In a two-page analysis piece on January 7, 2016, we put the Environment Agency on the spot about precisely what went on on the afternoon of the floods, and why the Agency felt it had to raise the Foss Barrier.

• Council transparency. We have repeatedly put the city council on the spot about allegations that it is not always as open and transparent as it should be. We have highlighted concerns raised by the Information Commissioner about the way the authority responded to Freedom of Information requests; reported on concerns raised by the Local Government Ombudsman about the way the authority dealt with complaints; and covered concerns raised by the authority's auditors about payments made to consultants.

THE EDITOR'S VIEW

"Fake news is not new," says Nigel Burton, editor of The Press.

"It used to be called propaganda and, before that, lies. But during the past 12 months it has become nothing less than a danger to democracy.

"The insidious spread of fake news has tarnished the journalistic profession. As a result, mainstream media is now seen as less trustworthy.

"However, I believe local newspapers are unique.

"Whether it is campaigning to raise awareness of river safety or urging the courts to take dangerous driving seriously, papers like The Press are the last bastion of quality, campaigning journalism.

"Unlike the national press and anonymous keyboard warriors, they are directly answerable to the community they serve.

"We don't publish click bait and our stories are thoroughly researched before they appear. Of course, despite our best efforts we sometimes get it wrong - but when we do we admit to our mistakes and make them right.

Local journalism is fundamental to local democracy and any attempt to undermine it should be resisted."

Nigel Burton, editor of The Press