Follow Your Facts –
How Research Validates Your Voice

In the news business, facts and figures have to be true. Period. There is no other way around it, because the only thing a newspaper hates worse than being scooped is being wrong. Then, a retraction has to be printed, or a “We regret the error” notice in small print on page two, just to legally cover all bases.

If you’re the reason the newspaper (or other media venue) printed false information, believe me, they’ll remember you every time the phone rings and they have to field a call from an angry reader who isn’t happy with them.

The best way to avoid this sticky problem is to verify your facts. One way is to pretend you’re a lawyer and that anything that’s hearsay is inadmissible. The judge, or the editor in this case, will hold you in contempt if you try to sneak in unverified facts before the jury, also known as the readers.

Checking your facts could help build your credentials in the business. Making errors that actually make it into print could cost you your credibility, if not legal fees for slander or worse. Editors will appreciate it if they don’t have to run all over town, verifying facts that they worry might be inaccurate. If you have a press release that’s heavy with complicated information, then provide any contact information for the editor that you can, in case he wants to have a staff member verify your story.

When writing up your release, never assume anything you’re not positive of. Not only will the company or organization be angry if wrong information is printed, but the newspaper will look upon you with discontent for as long as they remember your name.

You’ll have to go so far as to double-check even the most credible sources. O matter if they’re an expert in their industry, if they give you a number for a specific bit of information, go the extra mile and verify the figures. Experts are not infallible, and you must make sure your information is 100% accurate.

If the story is regarding a specific position or person appointed within the company, go directly to the source for your information. Don’t rely on the Vice President’s secretary if they story is about the Vice President. Make an effort to contact he or she directly and get firsthand quotes for your story. Then, anything that might end up being misleading will come back to haunt the Vice President – not you or the paper.

Don’t be afraid to approach your sources for clarification. If you find out that some of your facts contradict each other, go back to your sources and explain the situation to them. If a company is announcing that it will open up 100 new positions, but one source says it will be 1,000 – go back to the company and find out from the most authoritative source which number is correct.

If the information in your press release is of vital importance, you might want to check with several different sources from within the organization. It couldn’t hurt, and one source might end up mentioning a great reference for you to work with on other facts that could be included in your story.

Timeliness plays an important role in the integrity of your piece. If several months, or even days in some cases have passed, make a few phone calls to make sure your information is still accurate. It may be that the company has decided to move its new location to another city, and that’s a pretty significant detail you’ll need to know before it’s published.

Consider how embarrassed certain media were when they announced that Al Gore had clinched the 2000 Presidency. Hours later, they had to retract that error, and became the target of comedy skits for months to come. Never release information before it is verified ad true to the best of your knowledge.

You can use many different types of sources to gather your information, depending on the reason for your press release. Sometimes everything you need will be gathered in-house through company contacts, and sources they provide.

However, if you’re doing a piece about the effect your company’s new anti-pollution policy will have on the community, then it might be wise to do a little investigative research.

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