When a published story is unfair it might be a good idea to complain.
When complaining, start from the reporter, and if you are not
happy with the response, go up the hierarchy. How high you go
depends on your goals and on what you think you can achieve
realistically. You can phone the reporter, and while complaining,
find out who the immediate supervisor is, in case you want to
take it further.
Note that there is a risk in asking for a retraction or correction, since
there is a chance that the correction
will also contain additional information which will make the
situation even worse. One reason why the editors add information
is so that it distracts the reader from the correction.
Complaints have
more effect if several complaints are received.
Editors are afraid of libel suits which could cost the newspaper
a great deal. But they have no way to know about their reporters
inaccuracies, biases, or bullying. Many complaints will alert
them to the risks their reporter is exposing them.
Don't complain with blatant anger.
If you have been wronged, another approach would be to contact
competing news outlets and tell them your story.
- The Columbia Journalism Review, http://cjr.org .
- The American Journalism Review, http://www.ajr.org/ .
- The Society for Professional Journalists has a national
magazine called the Quill: http://spj.org/quill
- Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting is a research and information
center that publishes how-to kits for advocates. The web site has
contact lists for many media organizations: http://www.fair.org
Finally, in the USA you might contact the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC)
http://www.fcc.gov .
