The press release and cost cut problem: editorial forgetting core values?

In light of the recent wave of newsroom layoffs and cost cuts in the US, Tim McGuire worries that newspapers and editors may be forgetting the core values of journalism.

McGuire is a former editor and Senior Vice President of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and is currently Frank Russell Chair for the business of journalism at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications

The argument isn't new: cutting costs at newspapers (despite the fact that research has already shown that investing in newsrooms pays off) leads to reduced coverage and decreased editorial quality.

But according to McGuire, the situation is worsening today. "Shortcuts which would never have been considered 15 years ago are becoming a part of daily operational procedure," writes McGuire.

He takes the example of newspapers increasingly relying on press releases for coverage - unmodified press releases. The practice seems to be widespread and international, as echoed in books by Guardian journalist Nick Davies and French investigative journalist Paul Moreira.

"It's probably only a matter of time before a sports information department fails to mention a brawl or some other unseemly event at a game that would have been revealed by in-person coverage," writes McGuire.

According to McGuire though, the main problem isn't the increased reliance on shortcuts due to fewer resources. The real danger is editors forgetting their ethics because they are used to these practices.

In the case of the press release shortcut, one easy rule for editors and reporters is to credit the real source of a story, unless "our newsroom adds value," says Indiana Star managing editor Pam Fine.

There will continue to be editors who are willing to uphold their journalistic values in the face of cost cuts. Think of Jim O'Shea who recently left his position at the Los Angeles Times after disagreeing about budget cuts with his publisher.

But the danger is that editors who get used to working with reduced budgets forget the editorial values that are necessary to journalism.

"I hate the fact that readers get a worse news product, but I am even more concerned about which ethical values are being checked at the door by resource-strapped newsrooms," writes McGuire.

Source: McGuire blog, Arizona State University