Why not accredit news sources like we do schools?

We’re seeing much discussion today about how to improve news. Bad international actors now flood our information spaces with falsehoods. Interviewers ask naïve questions of their subjects rather than risk losing access. News organisations have reduced staff to the point that ‘journalism’ increasingly refers to pundits who comment on news rather reporters who seek it out. 

What can we do to improve things? What follows is one suggestion. Let’s do some curation—and, in the process, shift the reward system.

Why not have an international, independent accreditation network for news sources? It would work much as accrediting organisations now do for universities.

Information sources would be periodically evaluated by research and journalism professionals using objective standards.  These services would then be assigned tiered ratings. AP, for example might earn a designation of Gold Medal News Source at the end of the day; Discovery Channel might be a Bronze Medal source. Sensational, gossip, and shouty-pouty programs might be designated, non-metallically, as Tabloid Entertainment. 

The appropriate colour-coded badge would then appear next to every logo. Visitors can always glance over to see what kind of neighbourhood they’re in.  This could be made a requirement for permission to publish. Did a self-labelled news provider decline to participate? A notice to that effect can go into the banner. Visitors are told, perhaps in red, that the provider ‘declined evaluation’ or is ‘unaccredited.’

Such rankings could have many practical uses. You could set your social media apps to recommend only Gold or Silver level news sources to you. Bloggers and podcasters can expand their viewership based on credibility standing rather than, as now, their ability to offer clickbait. When your crazy cousins tell you to ‘do your research’ on chemtrails, you can ask them to share the accredited sources they consulted. Even they will be obliged to acknowledge that their information neighbourhood is not the same one where Encyclopaedia Britannica has a shop on the corner.

Curation of this sort helps to protect consumers while safeguarding free speech. If widely regarded, it can help to revitalise the field of journalism. As information suppliers increasingly covet a reputation for reliability over sensationalism, they increasingly seek to compete on those grounds. They then hire good journalists.

A suggestion. For the good of the order.
journalism professionals using objective standards. These services would then be assigned tiered ratings. AP might be designated a Gold Medal News Source at the end of the day, for example; Discovery Channel might be a Bronze. Daily Mail and Fox might be designated (non-metallic) News-Based Tabloid Entertainment.

The appropriate colour-coded badge could then appear next to every logo. Visitors can always glance over to see what kind of neighbourhood they’re in.

Such rankings could have many practical uses. You could set social media apps to recommend only Gold or Silver level news sources if you like. Bloggers and podcasters can expand viewership based on validated credibility rather than outrageousness. When anyone tells you to ‘do your research’ on chemtrails, you can ask for accredited sources. They will be obliged to acknowledge, even to themselves, that their ‘information sources’ don’t inhabit the same neighbourhood as Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Curation of this sort helps protect consumers while allowing free speech—and it could revitalise the field of journalism.

Information sources would be periodically evaluated by research and journalism professionals using objective standards. These services would then be assigned tiered ratings. AP might be designated a Gold Medal News Source at the end of the day, for example; Discovery Channel might be a Bronze. Daily Mail and Fox might be designated (non-metallic) News-Based Tabloid Entertainment.

The appropriate colour-coded badge could then appear next to every logo. Visitors can always glance over to see what kind of neighbourhood they’re in.

Such rankings could have many practical uses. You could set social media apps to recommend only Gold or Silver level news sources if you like. Bloggers and podcasters can expand viewership based on validated credibility rather than outrageousness. When anyone tells you to ‘do your research’ on chemtrails, you can ask for accredited sources. They will be obliged to acknowledge, even to themselves, that their ‘information sources’ don’t inhabit the same neighbourhood as Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Curation of this sort helps protect consumers while allowing free speech—and it could revitalise the field of journalism.

Location: Taipei 101, No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110

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