Anyone in the Ottawa area who tuned into the media on Sept.18 learned about the horrific details surrounding the collision of an OC Transpo bus and Via Rail passenger train 51 in Barrhaven.
Rampant coverage provided by both local and national news organizations immediately followed the crash.
The Internet has increased the amount of news sources for audiences and amplifyed competition. The speed of media coverage has accelerated into a 24-hour news cycle, which increases the possibility of factual errors or misinformation.
“The beauty of 24-hour news is that it’s news on demand for the consumer,” says Melanie Coulson, senior online editor for the Ottawa Citizen. “We’re no longer waiting for a 6 p.m. television newscast or a top of the hour radio show. Whenever someone wants information, they can get it.”
The coverage of the OC Transpo crash demonstrated the benefits of 24-hour news. These include live interviews from eyewitnesses, tweets, video footage, and articles about the specifics of the crash.
This constant reporting gave frequent updates about any new detail of the story.
“With tragedies such as these, people want to know everything that happened,” says Joel-Denis Bellavance, Ottawa bureau chief of La Presse, a Montreal newspaper. “Reporting the (OC Transpo) crash was demanding, but the 24-hour cycle was helpful, because I was using Twitter updates and other media sources to receive information for the story.”
“All of the media in Ottawa was very respectful of what was going on and no one forgot that six people died that day and the importance of that. This was the worst day of some people’s lives,” Coulson says.
Those in the Ottawa area not only learned about the specifics of the crash, but also information about the six victims. Pictures and videos of the bus were posted online, providing the viewer with vivid imagery of the tragedy.
In addition, the wife of Dave Woodard, the bus driver who was killed in the crash, was interviewed, revealing that he was prescribed Metformin, a drug used to treat people with Type 2 diabetes.
The media humanized the story, allowing the audience to relate to the victims.
While viewers were treated to quality coverage of the OC Transpo crash, there are also drawbacks to the 24-hour cycle.
In a frenzy to be the first organization to break news, the details and fact checking can get lost in a whirlwind of information and speculation that builds up in newsrooms.
“The 24-hour news cycle is a mixed blessing,” says Christopher Waddell, director of Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication. “While information is released more quickly, what the audience is getting isn’t always the truth, or all of the facts surrounding the story immediately.”
CNN’s coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings demonstrated the weakness of the 24-hour news cycle. John King, a CNN correspondent, falsely reported that a suspect was arrested.
This misstep occurred when an audience of 1.05 million tuned in to learn about the development of the Boston Marathon bombings, according to Nielsen ratings.
The audience’s demand for information places pressure on reporters to produce quickly. Faster reporting means less time is devoted to checking facts, and in this case, CNN’s integrity was damaged due to this error.
Tragedies such as the Boston Marathon bombings or the OC Transpo crash provoke a vast law enforcement and ambulance response, creating a rich environment for reporting.
However, the fast reactions from the police and medical emergency staff establish a frantic setting of differing sources, possibly leading to contradictory facts.
This, combined with the urgency to be the first news organization to break a story, can lead to reporting errors.
Sean McKibbon, managing editor for Metro News Ottawa, says he believes factual errors are the product of individual outlets, not the 24-hour news cycle. Each organization should still uphold the “journalistic values of fair, balanced, and factual reporting” before releasing a story, he says.
“It’s up to each reporter to make sure what they are reporting is correct, and to the news organizations that they are informing their audiences. Being correct is more important than being first,” McKibbon adds.
The 24-hour news cycle is the perfect complement to the rise of information technology. News junkies or casual viewers can access news at their convenience, leading to a more educated and insightful population.
However, it is also easy to get engulfed in a sea of stories and updates. In order to prevent consumers from being misinformed, the duty still remains on reporters and media outlets to ensure that they are as correct as they are swift with the news.