Credibility is perhaps the most difficult of trusts to reclaim.
Anonymous
A friend recently asked me to relate to a group of Sophomore and Junior high school students here in Houston about what I have learned during my careers as a journalist and public affairs practitioner. In my oral remarks about real-life experiences the students should begin to realize the importance of ethics, complete fact-gathering, and truth-telling, whether they produce or consume journalistic products. I also remind them that no matter how much technology changes, the most important personally and for society, continue to be the credibility of the journalist. I further remind them that whether they decide to enter the journalistic trade (journalism is far from a profession) or simply become consumers of journalistic products, their primary concern should be the credibility of what they produce, or read, hear, view or experience, especially in light of today’s 24-hour news cycle world.
At the link, below, you may download the deck of slides I prepared, modified slightly from a similar presentation I made last year. Since this PowerPoint file contains multi-media it may take about one to two minutes to download depending on your Internet connection.