A few days ago I posted You are what you post. While I had something completely different in mind, that same headline is even more relevant to today with the Telegraph-Journal, the primary newspaper in Saint John, New Brunswick. Today they printed and posted an apology to Canada’s Prime Minister and two of it’s reporters for a story, “… that was inaccurate and should not have been published.”
The apology included the reporters because what they submitted, “… did not include these statements in the version of the story that they wrote.”
With the traditional news business in its current state of chaos as it tries to figure out how to survive with the huge shifts that are occurring due to economics and the Internet, this is the worst time possible for something like this when so much of the debate regarding the value of traditional news rests on credibility.
What the apology does not state, and what must be made clear, is how did something like this get into the story? If it was not part of what the reporters submitted, who added it? And what will the consequences for this be?
As much as the PM is owed an apology, as well as the reporters and many others (not the least of which is the family of the late Govenor General Roméo LeBlanc), journalists and the public should be provided with an explanation of how it occurred and what will follow from it. In a digital world, New Brunswick is not off the beaten track and this is not something that affects a small few. It affects journalism and, today, even its survival.
Credibility is not something news can afford to not have, even in New Brunswick.
Update:
As the CBC updates the story (Wafergate leads paper to apologize to PM, reporters) it just gets more interesting and troubling. “This is another in an embarrassing string of events for the Telegraph-Journal.”
See also:
Craig Silverman: New Brunswick newspaper apologizes to Canadian Prime Minister over made up accusation
Update #2:
From the Globe and Mail posted at 1:30pm ET titled Newspaper apologizes to Harper :
A secretary for Jamie Irving, publisher of the newspaper, referred questions about the apology to Kevin Publicover, acting general manager for the company that owns the Telegraph-Journal, Moncton-based Brunswick News.
Mr. Publicover said the company would not make any further comment on the apology.
“Our position is that the statement in the newspaper today is self-explanatory and that we have no further comment on it,” he said in an interview.
Sorry. But that’s not acceptable. It may be self-explanatory as far as stating there was a screw-up. It does not say how it happened, who is responsible or what the consequences will be, if any.
And one last update (a biggie):
From CBC: Publisher, editor out over wafer story
I guess there were consequences.
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