Fact or Fast?

    Luke O'Neil wrote an article on the site of Alternative Press on Monday, "Exclusive! In Online Music Reporting, Is It Better To Be First Or Factual?"  Is it better to be the first to report on something or the most accurate?  While this topic deals with every aspect of journalism, it was interesting to see how it pertains to music news as well.
     Rumors affect everyday life, but for bands these days, there are certainly more of them.  The biggest bands have been rumored to be on hiatus, including Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is..., The Killers, Straylight Run and, most recently, Brand New.  While the success of journalism relies on how quickly news is released to the public, it's only successful if it's true.  There is no point in reporting on something that is false.  It ends up being a whole lot of trouble for a whole lot of people.
     While there is, as Gina Chen says, an "adrenaline rush when you break a big story," it loses it's appeal if it happens to be a rumor.  While some of these bands have confirmed the truth of hiatus, Fall Out Boy and Straylight Run have both confirmed hiatus, but denied break up, the fact of the matter is most news is full of half truths.  The most important aspect of journalism is FACT.
     In a speech about good writing, Michael Gartner, president of NBC News and Pulitzer Prize winner, said "Words alone aren't enough.  Good writing needs facts.  You cannot be a good writer if you are not a good reporter.  You need facts and details."  He goes on to say that even fiction needs fact.  "Writing is just the pie crust; facts are the pie."
     Some blame the growing popularity of music blogs for readers wanting their information immediately.  This may be true, the internet has placed a lot of pressure on getting news out faster, but not necessarily accurately.  Whether it's an inexperienced blogger behind a Mac computer in a dorm room or an esteemed reporter of Rolling Stone, fact is fact is fact.  There is no substitute for fact being the most important aspect of a story.
     As John Nolan of Straylight Run said,"I think in the end, the blogs and news organization that are ethical and found to be credible will win in the end.  Eventually, people will stop going to blogs that put out a lot of hype that turns out not to be true."