Reporting Basics: Accuracy, Precision, and Balance

       Chapter 12 is a useful chapter that outlines the important reasons for and ways to go about checking all of your sources and being accurate.  The video we watched in class today was one of the possible consequences of not verifying your source, like the one given in the Introduction of the chapter where a scientist committed suicide as a result of wrongly being used as a source.  The author really stresses how important it is to fact-check everything, all the way down to spelling and getting numbers right.  I agree with how much he emphasizes accuracy.  On my college papers, I always put everything into my own words and never copy-and-paste anything in case the professor checks it for plagiarism, and they're the only person reading it.  When you write a news story, it's being given to the general public so it's pretty likely any mistakes will be spotted. 
       Edward R. Murrow is a beast for confronting Joseph McCarthy; you can just tell by that picture of him that's in the book.  I found his quote pretty inspirational, whether or not I go into journalism. 
       I like how the author says to never use any verb but "said" for quotes.  It really does change the way it's interpreted, like if you use "claimed" then "you're suggesting the person is lying."  Using words other than "said" makes it sound more exciting but it adds more detail onto the facts, and all you can use to write a news story is fact. 
       I agreed with scientist Andrew Weaver when he's quoted saying that "climate change" is less accurate than "global warming."  When I was rewording something from The Globe for a newsclip for The Comment last week, I actually chose to use "global warming" where they had used "climate change."  Not only does "climate change" butter up something that people should be concerned about, but just like Weaver said, "global warming" lets the reader know exactly what you're talking about. 
       The chapter showed me that it's worth it to be accurate at all costs, and if missing a side to the story makes you want to pick a side and throw off the balance, write another fact: "If you can't get the full story, put that in the story."