Opinion
News media’s rush to be first can have real consequences
By Amira Elghawaby Sep. 5, 2016
Is that what led to the decision to publish a deeply problematic article citing a so-called 'study' of Canadian mosques and Islamic schools that was first presented to readers across the country without any reality checks?
A CBC newsroom in Ottawa in 2005. Amira Elghawaby writes that the rush to be first in news reporting can hurt groups, such as Muslims, that are being reported on. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright
News is not just about getting the story; it’s also about getting the story first. However, as journalist and author Madeline Drohan writes in the current issue of the Literary Review of Canada, in this digital age, media accuracy and balance are suffering. That can have major ramifications on all of us. “Most traditional media outlets have responded to pressure from social media by speeding up their coverage of events—tweeting, blogging and writing numerous versions of the same
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