It is not unusual for a newsmaker to ask to see our copy before it is submitted for printing. The request might be just so that the newsmaker knows what is going to be published before he or she sees it in the
paper, or it might be to verify certain facts in the story.
It is not unusual for a newsmaker to ask to see our copy before it is submitted for printing. The request might be just so that the newsmaker knows what is going to be published before he or she sees it in the
paper, or it might be to verify certain facts in the story.
This type of request comes through to the editor’s office more often than not if the reporter concerned is young and inexperienced, leaving the newsmaker, a little unsure about the reporter’s ability to accurately record the facts.
This is not surprising because many of our reporters are young students or interns. As a rule we do not like sending our copy to anyone before it goes to print, but since it is true that some of our reporters lack experience, it is occasionally useful to have an interested party check through the facts.
So although we do not like doing this, we will allow the reporter to submit the article to an outside person for fact checking. The problem arises however, when an interviewee wants to check our copy for reasons other than fact checking.
They might like to put a different spin on the story or even change a quote or two that did not come out quite as they had intended.
This type of interference is not acceptable and we will not allow it. Can you imagine if we had to submit every story we did to everyone we interviewed, and then allowed them to make whatever changes they deemed appropriate?
In the first place it would be logistically impossible and we would never get a newspaper out onto the streets. Certain newsmakers, or their spokespeople, sometimes take weeks or even months to answer the simplest question, so how long would it take them to read through an article?
Furthermore, the interviewee is in effect asking for the right to censor what we print. This is not acceptable because it is an infringement on our freedom of expression a right enshrined in the South African Constitution.
If an individual or organisation feels that they have been unfairly treated on the pages of Grocott’s Mail, or if they feel they would like to clarify certain points, we will grant a right of reply and publish a letter from that person.
