Fake trend stories

Anyone else out there notice these dubious "trend" stories?

You know, when you read there's been an alarming rise in teen sex or, I don't know, pick your favorite worry of the week, but the writer doesn't have great stats to demonstrate the trend? I feel like Time and Newsweek are especially guilty of this.

An article I read about a Newsweek story on slate.com got me thinking about this.

It gave me pause, because I think journalists can do a good public service by taking the time to look at how our society is changing. That includes getting the word out when there ARE troubling trends out there. But how do we avoid raising alarm bells when they aren't needed?

When we do that too much, we lose credibility and contribute to a culture of fear that prevents people from being able to see their world clearly.

For instance, people hold a lot of irrational fears that news stories can help to encourage. The example that's on the top of my head is a pretty famous one: car travel vs. air travel. Many more people die in car travel than in air travel, but not a lot of people have an irrational fear of cars. (I think Malcolm Gladwell might talk about that one in one of his books, Lisa? :) )

I know there are better examples of irrational fears that reporters play up because they make sensational headlines, but you get the point.

I can't say I have the answers on this issue, but I do know I'll be thinking about this a good deal when I write. I think it's really important for us as reporters to learn how to use statistics carefully and accurately, and not to blow a story out of proportion just to suck readers in. Journalism, as a reporter that talked to one of my classes once said, is an intensely ethical profession. Reporters frequently weigh the ethical implications of what they do, much more so than those in many other professions. When you're writing a story, you gotta consider more than how splashy a story is!

Just a thought...

Sarah