South DaCola

Schwan’s weekly column about integrity in journalism and ‘Fake News’

Jodi made some good points about what separates real journalism from bad journalism;

It’s not fake news just because you don’t agree with it. That’s the understanding those of us in the media have to reach with our readership.

But the prevalence of true “fake news” – accounts created by those other than journalists producing pieces designed to feel like news – puts a higher burden on all of us.

I have often been careful to tell my readers on here whether something is a fact, or if it is a rumor that I’m looking into. I never want anyone coming here saying, “South DaCola said this, so it must be true.” I try to encourage my readers to do their own research and to ask questions of their elected leaders. Ask them if something is true or not. Don’t just make the assumption that since Schwan, the Argus or South DaCola said it, it may be true or untrue.

I think I’m a little different than those ‘news’ sources, because I ask my readers to look for the real story. You may NOT agree with my editorial style or political philosophies, but that shouldn’t stop you from seeking the truth. The ‘News’ is only as good as the quality of information supplied to the reporters. That is why MORE open government and transparency only improves the quality of the news we receive. It’s easy to say something is ‘fake’ when we are not getting all the facts. Former Mayor Coors Light & Olives used blather all the time on various media sources that blogs or the Argus were ‘getting it wrong’. Well how would we know since your administration would never provide us with all the facts. This is why the Argus took the city to the SD Supreme Court over the siding settlement. What did we find out? We found out that the administration was lying about the settlement amount. This is why I tell people if you don’t trust me or another media source, look into yourself.

The only person responsible for spreading ‘fake news’ is yourself if you don’t bother to look deeper. This part-time blogger can only do so much.

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