The News is the Priority

           The role and freedoms of journalists in the process of conveying news is a concern of mine that came up during a lecture given by a currently practicing journalist.  Many journalists have the idea that they can ask enough questions to understand the material well enough to write about it.  Although this is true to a certain degree, it is completely analogous to handing in a rough draft of an article without having the teacher check it for mistakes first.  Without an article being reviewed, are you not at risk of misrepresenting the news, and at the same time, misleading the public? I believe that there must be a system of checks and balances for journalists and the subjects of (and information within) their articles to ensure that the news is represented accurately.

            This brings me to the point I was beginning to make earlier.  While I understand that journalists are attempting to have an impact on the articles they are writing, it is important to understand that the news itself is the priority.  It is my personal belief that (scientific) journalists should not be able to submit an article written about someone else or their work without their review.  There should be an understanding that while their writing is a valuable part of the process, and, if good, can provide a link to their audience, the information in the article is not theirs to manipulate (intentionally or unintentionally).