Nothing but the truth

The publication of a piece of information without first checking it flies in the face of what has been one of the key tenets in journalism, verification before publication. The discipline of verification is a core normative practice in journalism. Verification defines acceptable professional behavior. It falls within an interpretative repertoire of resistance in the articulation of professionalism. Those boundaries are being strained as journalists, who once could claim a monopoly on the supply of everyday public information, contend with citizens who are sharing eyewitness accounts, curating reports or evaluating information on social media. But the strain on established verification practices means that this is when transgressions tend to occur. Central to the identity of journalists are what Zelizer describes as the god-terms of the profession facts, truth, and reality. The pressures on traditional norms and practices given the visibility, volume, and velocity of information at times of major events have led to reactions of resistance, renewal, and reinterpretation.