Accuracy is the aim

By: Joe Strupp 'USA TODAY' to survey story sources

Sources used by USA Today are being asked in a special survey if the national newspaper accurately reported their data, quotes, and other newsworthy information. The survey, which began in March and will be completed within a year, is one of the latest efforts by a newspaper industry leader to counter growing reader complaints of declining credibility and accuracy in many daily publications.
"National industry studies have identified credibility as an important issue to readers, and we are looking at it through accuracy," said Steve Anderson, director of communications for USA Today, the national flagship paper of Gannett Co. Inc. "Hopefully, it will reaffirm our attempts at improving accuracy."
The survey is being conducted by former journalist Philip Meyer, professor of journalism at the University of North Carolina. Meyer, a longtime consultant for USA Today and a veteran of similar studies, said this is the first to track sources' reactions for a national publication. "I think it will be a useful management tool," said Meyer. "Everyone is interested in improving quality."
The survey itself includes 23 questions asking sources about everything from misquotations that appeared in a story to misspelled names to incorrect job titles. One question simply asks if the sources believed the story was fair, while another asks if inaccuracies were reported to an editor and if corrections followed.
Meyer said he will choose 100 stories from USA Today randomly each month through February 2001. He said one source will be picked from each story and sent a copy of the survey, a copy of the story, and a letter requesting the survey be completed. He's hoping for a 60% or better response rate.
"We are really interested in the specific factual errors that they can find," Meyer said. "It is a way to find real feedback."
Representatives of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times said none of their papers had ever conducted such a survey.
"Like any product-improvement effort, it is a way to better our product and check our diligence," said Anderson. "We want to track the level of improvement."
Anderson said no data had been compiled from the survey yet, and did not believe any reliable results would be available for at least several months. He stressed that the information would be used as an internal tool only.

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(copyright: Editor & Publisher May 1, 2000)