Numbers
and facts can be thrown around by the news media, politicians, authors,
bloggers, and others but how often are those facts and numbers confirmed to be
true? Do you communicate accurate information in your books, press releases,
tweets, or blog posts?
Common errors
made by writers include:
1.
Not
double-checking the accuracy of something presented as fact.
2.
Not
considering something could have been accurate at one point but no longer is.
3.
A
fact may have been misstated, misrepresented, or stated incompletely.
4.
The
fact is based on a misquoted source.
5.
The
source of the fact is unreliable.
6.
You
lack two independent, legitimate sources and verify their information.
7.
The
numbers were presented in a distorted way, even if technically accurate
(context is important).
8.
Transcribing
errors are made when one source quotes a source that quotes a source.
Writers
have an obligation to be accurate and not manipulate the truth. They must speak
a language of reality, fairness, accuracy, and precision. Ask yourself:
·
Did so and so actually say the quote attributed
to him or her?
·
Was
anything misspelled?
·
Are
the numbers accurate and reflective of the facts?
·
Are
you relying on your memory or a better source?
·
Are
you presenting rumor, opinion, or allegation as fact?
·
Did
you verify dates, times, places?
How can you
avoid mistakes?
1.
Don’t
rush, especially if under a deadline.
2.
Don’t
be lazy.
3.
Avoid
being willfully ignorant.
4.
Don’t
assume a source to be reliable unless proven to be.
5.
Research
and double-check things.
6.
If
something doesn’t sound right, question it.
Before
you retweet something, pen a guest-blog post, or quickly write your next Facebook
entry, question the ‘facts’ and make sure they are accurate. Otherwise, not
only do you tarnish your reputation and contribute to the disseminating of
false or misleading information, you make the Internet less trustworthy.
Blog
the facts, only the facts… and a good strong opinion – just label it as such!
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Brian Feinblum’s
views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of
his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in
the third-person.
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