Journalism 101 (cont'd)

Here's another example of lousy reporting from The State. On issues that are controversial, complex, and confusing, it's the duty of the reporter to get to the facts of the matter and not simply report that there's a disagreement. So if Galileo says that the Earth revolves around the Sun and other people dispute this, the reporter's duty is to get to the fact of the matter, insofar as that's possible.

Simple, right?

Not for The State.

Today, Jeff Stensland reports that there's a controversy over what's to become of The State's $118 million revenue surplus. The comptroller wants to use the funds to draw down the state's longstanding deficit. Legislators challenge his legal authority to do so.

So what does Stensland do? Instead of investigating whether the law delegates the authority to one party or the other—e.g., getting to the fact of the matter—Stensland just reports that there's a squabble.

Another potentially invaluable article turns out to be a complete waste due to shoddy craftsmanship.

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