Speed over accuracy: ex-correspondents raise concerns

In at least two examples, Reuters reported inaccurate stories from other media without checking primary sources first, the website Journalism.co.uk said in a report on What Price the News?, a debate hosted by the  Thomson Reuters Foundation at the company's Canary Wharf, London offices on Thursday 22 October.

Has fact-checking and editing become less of a priority in an age of cost-cutting and “personal” journalism? What are the consequences for news organisations’ commitment to accuracy and freedom from bias? Those were two of the questions billed by the company in advance of the debate, which was introduced by Dean Wright, global editor, ethics, innovation and news standards. Others were: Are Western standards of news ethics and standards necessarily correct? Should there be a global standard for what constitutes proper journalism ethics?

This month Reuters initially published a report, first broadcast by Sky News, that the Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, had died, until his lawyer corrected it.

Another inaccurate story was CNN's report on a US Coast Guard training exercise on the anniversary of September 11 this year which was wrongly claimed to be a gun battle.

Former Reuters journalist Paul Iredale, speaking from the audience, said he was deeply concerned and sad about what he heard during the debate. "In Reuters it seems to have gone to speed rather than accuracy," he said. "What we used to say about Reuters was we got it last, but we got it right. I don't think that is the case now."

Sean Maguire, global editor, political and general news, said Reuters was completely transparent when the stories were found to be untrue. "When we saw it was wrong, we said we were wrong," he said. "Because Sky had been a good source on the [al-Megrahi death report] story we reported it. We very quickly said what they said was nonsense."

Former correspondent Colin Bickler said from the audience that he believed source-checking standards were slipping in the rush to get the story up. "I worked for Reuters for 28 years and if I had pulled that excuse I would have been shot. It is because it can move the markets it needs to be checked. I'm in shock," Journalism.co.uk reported him saying.

Times have changed, said Maguire. "There is a premium on speed and we will put a story out and say 'this is what we know so far,'" he said. "The business model has changed (…) but we don't recklessly report what we think is wrong." ■