Let's say you've interviewed a source for a story you're writing. Then the source asks to see a copy of the story it before it's published.
What should you do?
As a rule, journalists generally don't show their stories to sources before they are published. Why? Because if there's something in the story the source doesn't like - the way they are portrayed, for instance - they may try to convince you to change the story so that it's more to their liking.
And if a reporter allows himself to be coerced into altering a story to suit a source, then the reporter has surrendered his editorial independence, and the story starts to resemble a public relations press release, not a hard-hitting news story.
Remember, it's the reporter's job to write about people and events objectively, without fear or favor, as the saying goes. If a reporter lets a source dictate what goes into a story, then that reporter loses that objectivity and becomes little more than a mouthpiece for whatever message the source wants to convey.
An Example:
Let's say Jane reporter is doing a story about a new video game. She interviews Mr. Bigwig, the CEO of the video game company. Not surprisingly, Mr. Bigwig tells Jane how exciting the game is, how realistic the graphics are, and so on. In other words, he tells her things that he thinks will help sell more copies of the game. Mr. Bigwig is, after all, a businessman.
But as a good reporter seeking to get to the truth, Jane also interviews some gamers who have played Mr. Bigwig's game and found that it's really not that great. They say it's boring, among other things. So Jane includes their quotes in her story as well.
Then Mr. Bigwig asks to see Jane's story before it's printed, and she complies. Well, what do you think Mr. Bigwig is going to want? Of course, he's going to want Jane to take out all the quotes from the disgruntled gamers who don't like Mr. Bigwig's latest product.
And if Jane, a smart but young reporter who is intimidated by the powerful Mr. Bigwig, agrees to do what he asks, will her story still be objective, hard-hitting and truthful? Or will it become a piece pf PR fluff?
It will be fluff, of course. And journalists aren't in the business of producing fluff.
So if a source you interview for an article asks to see the story before it's published, politely but firmly refuse, even if the source is powerful or well-connected. Don't put yourself in the uncomfortable position of being influenced by a source in a way that tarnishes your credibility or he credibility of your story.
