Alliance President and CEO Danielle Coffey stated, “The PRESS Act provides a vital safeguard for the important work of the free press in reporting on matters important to our communities, without fear of government interference or intimidation. The Alliance thanks Representatives Kevin Kiley and Jamie Raskin for their leadership on this bill in the House and we look forward to supporting this important bi-partisan bill advancing in the Senate.”

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The PRESS Act, which unanimously passed the House last Congress, ensures that journalists can perform their work without fear of government overreach by prohibiting government officials from exposing confidential sources or subpoenaing for protected information. The bill allows the free press to continue their important investigative work to shed light on public matters critical to preserving our democracy, while still enabling enforcement officials to obtain the information they need to investigate and prosecute crimes to keep the nation secure.

Danielle Coffey, News/Media Alliance President & CEO, stated, “The News/Media Alliance proudly supports the PRESS Act and commends Senators Wyden, Durbin and Lee, and Representatives Raskin and Kiley for their leadership and commitment to protecting a free and independent press. The PRESS Act will ensure that journalists can maintain editorial independence and protect confidential sources which are a vital part of producing quality news. We encourage Congress to swiftly pass this important bi-partisan legislation.”

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Alliance President and CEO David Chavern stated, “A free and independent press is vital to democracy, and the PRESS Act ensures that journalists maintain editorial independence by protecting their confidential source information. Without these protections, journalists are at risk of government intimidation, losing sources and being unable to produce quality news. The Alliance is proud to support these bi-partisan protections, and we encourage the Senate to follow swiftly so it can be enacted into law.”

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The Alliance looks forward to the Act being signed into law and continues to support legislative efforts to protect journalists from any attempt to thwart the newsgathering process.

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Groundbreaking investigative stories of government corruption and other wrongdoings would remain unknown – both to the public and to Congress – without information gathered from confidential sources by investigative journalists. Actions by the government to learn journalists’ confidential sources undermine the ability of the press, as outlined in the First Amendment, to provide important information to the public about such transgressions.

The legislation introduced now in both the House and Senate would prevent government overreach in obtaining confidential information that would expose anonymous sources and jeopardize the public’s right to know, while at the same time enabling law enforcement officials to get the information they need to investigate and prosecute crimes to keep the nation secure.

Alliance President and CEO, David Chavern, stated, “We must do more to protect journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources used in investigative reporting, which are often crucial to helping to shed light on important public matters critical to preserving our democracy. We are grateful to Representative Raskin for his leadership in introducing this legislation, as well as Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler for calling attention to the problem of prosecutorial overreach when it comes to seeking source information from reporters.”

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Whether it is the mistreatment of soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, safety problems at nuclear power plants, or reporting on the government’s secret and warrantless wiretapping program, groundbreaking stories would remain unknown – both to the public and to Congress – without information gathered from confidential sources by investigative journalists.

The legislation introduced today by Senator Wyden prevents government overreach in obtaining information that would expose sources and jeopardize the public’s right to know, while at the same time, enables law enforcement officials to get the information they need to investigate and prosecute crimes to keep the nation secure.

Alliance President and CEO, David Chavern, stated, “Our nation’s history has shown that confidential sources are often crucial to helping journalists shed light on important public matters critical to a strong democracy. We are grateful to Senator Wyden for his leadership on this issue and we look forward to working with him and others in Congress to enact this important legislation.”

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So, what’s a girl — I mean journalist — to do?

There are so many more options now for finding new voices to add to stories! From finding experts to locals affected by the news to activists and agitators, it’s never been easier to track down a slew of new names to feature.

SheSource.org

Run by the Women’s Media Center, SheSource helps journalists connect with women who are experts in a multitude of fields. And with women making up less than a quarter of sources quoted by such prominent outlets as The Atlantic, there is room for more female voices. There are more than 1,300 expert sources in the SheSource database. Each woman has demonstrated expertise on her subjects as well as shown that she has some experience working with the media. The database is searchable by area of expertise, and reporters have the option of reaching out to desired sources through the WMC or contacting the source directly. (Editor’s note: I’ve used SheSource numerous times and have always gotten timely, if not immediate responses going through WMC, from both the WMC contact and the sources themselves.) The WMC also sends out a weekly email with a roundup of five to 10 sources who are available to discuss the week’s biggest stories and upcoming news events.

Help A Reporter Out (HARO)

HARO helps connect writers to sources who want to tell their story or share their insights. The resource is free for journalists, but sources can pay to use the service and up their chances of getting media placement through keyword alerts and early access to reporters’ source requests. The site boasts more than 475,000 sources and says it has been used by more than 35,000 journalists and bloggers to connect to sources, so there’s a wide array of opportunities for both parties. (Editor’s note: I’ve never had luck with HARO when I’ve used it, but colleagues have had luck getting PR pitches from product requests through the site.)

Think Tanks

If there’s a subject or region, there’s a think tank that works on the topic. Everyone of course knows about RAND Corp., the Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations, but there are hundreds more think tanks across the country and around the world. The University of Pennsylvania library system keeps a list of worldwide think tanks available on its website for anyone to access, and it will give you a good idea of what’s out there and how to reach them. You can browse the list by location, areas of research or special achievements (such as top think tanks established in the past 18 months, or those who have done the best media outreach), or by political party affiliation.

Nonprofits

Like think tanks, there’s a nonprofit for everything. A simple web search will turn up hundreds of options, but you can use charity watchdog sites to find reputable nonprofits related to your topic. Groups like GuideStar, Charity Navigator and Charity Watch, as well as journalism group ProPublica, all rate charities based on their financials and the work they do, and you can use those rankings to find a reputable organization to reach out to for interviews.

Social Media

Everyone crowdsources online these days, but it can actually be helpful if you’re looking for local voices in an area you don’t live in or need to find an expert who may not be part of a think tank or another sourcing tool. Twitter has a reputation for being full of blowhards and Russian trolls, but if you’re willing to poke around the site, you can find sources for stories who you might not otherwise have access to — and who might not otherwise be able to get their voices heard. (Editor’s note: I’ve used Twitter to source a number of stories and have found dozens of sources, both expert and non, over the years. I even landed a few interviews through MySpace back in the day!) Facebook and LinkedIn are also useful in finding new voices to add to your stories. Facebook provides tips on how to use the site to find sources and story ideas using its many features, while LinkedIn is ideal for finding contacts for business-focused stories.

How are you sourcing stories? We’d love to know what resources you use to add new voices to your news! Let us know by emailing jennifer@newsmediaalliance.org or tweeting @EditrixJen. We would also love to hear from you about what other tools or tips or tricks of the trade you’re interested in learning more about in 2018, both on the business and journalism side.

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The media landscape has become littered with false news stories, making it much harder to find the real news. This year, in response to this growing phenomenon, we have seen an increase in the introduction of several initiatives around the world  (including the Italian government) aimed at combating the proliferation of fake news. People recognize that fake news is a real and growing problem and want to ensure the continued existence of real news.

Among the many efforts out there, you may have seen PSAs in local and national newspapers over the last several months calling on Americans to “Support Real News”. These PSAs are part of our Support Real News campaign, which first launched in March, with the most recent ad being released today. The mission of the campaign is to shine a light on the harm to the public caused by fake news and highlight the importance of real news produced by respected, trusted news organizations.

The two latest ads are part of a three-part series that focuses on the need and importance of improved news literacy; that is, the ability to tell the difference between real and fake news and, if it’s not obvious from the headline (which, often, it is not) – how to find out which one it is.

The first ad advises readers to “Use a Trusted Source”, such as a respected news organization, to ensure they are getting real news. It also sends readers to a website, Is It Real News, which is filled with resources from third-parties – including universities, nonprofit foundations, independent media organizations, fact-checking organizations and other educational groups – to help people learn how to tell if something is real news, or whether it is fake.

The second, newest ad focuses on the critical role quality journalists play in ensuring news is truthful and accurate. In this case, we provide a helpful acronym, leveraging a key word in the world of news literacy – SOURCE. The ad uses the letters to help readers remember how high-quality journalists help deliver real news. They: Seek Out the truth. Unbiased in their Reporting. Correct all Errors.

This campaign is about helping people to recognize when something is real, and when it may not be and they should do more research. A solid and real news story will include credible sources and will be fact-checked for its ability to withstand inquiries as to whether statements in the story are true.

Professional journalists adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, which mandates that they seek and report the truth, even if they don’t agree with it. It also states that they must “gather, update and correct information throughout the life of a news story.” They must admit their mistakes and remain open and transparent with readers. Ultimately, they must take responsibility for the truthfulness and accuracy of their work.

Other content producers simply posting information to the web are not bound by this Code of Ethics. They may publish information for which they did not quote a credible source, or that has not been vetted by team members or fact-checked.

How do you know that an author isn’t simply quoting a fake source? Many fake news stories, on the surface, are made to look like real news.

If the article is raising red flags and something just isn’t adding up, chances are, there is a reason for that. Trust your instincts and dig deeper – do some investigative work of your own to be sure you aren’t getting duped!

I can usually tell that an article is real news when I see the author’s corrections detailed in notations immediately above or below the article. To me, it is not so important that the author made a mistake, but that he or she corrected the error, admitted their mistake and held themselves accountable. I would trust that reporter’s work going forward, unlike a story containing false information that, upon the inaccuracy being pointed out, is not revised and no explanation or apology given for the misleading information. Why should I ever take that author’s word again? Why should you? We should demand more from our news! There are real news organizations out there that can and do stand up to the scrutiny, because their journalists adhere to the Code of Ethics and their reporting stands up to the test. Those are the sources from which I want to get my news.

The Support Real News campaign is about raising awareness and calling attention to those who knowingly exploit media communication channels to advance their agendas, by lying and even pretending to be an authentic news source. We can fight back against this problem through widespread education and calling on the public at-large to be vigilant and skeptical about recognizing fake news sources and not continuing to spread it, while supporting the providers of real news. Our original campaign video sounds the alarm on fake news and clearly conveys the reasons we need to support quality, investigative journalism now. Real news holds those in power accountable and is critical to preserving our democracy.

The third ad in the series, coming soon, will be the voice of real news, sharing why they do what they do, and why reporting the truth, even if they have to risk their lives, is so critical to the knowledge and education of our society.

To access helpful educational materials for improving news literacy, visit Is It Real News.

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