Everyday Ethics

The NY Times did a short piece this past week on Matt Harding, the dancing guy who splices together video of himself doing a cute little Hammer-dance in locations all over the world. He's a YouTube phenom if there ever was one. And his videos are mesmerizing.

Harding wrote in his blog that he was honored to be mentioned in such a great newspaper. He goes on to point out three minor errors, the simple kind of mistakes that should have been caught by a quick round of fact-checking. His analysis demonstrates so clearly how accuracy adds to credibility. (Two of the most popular courses over at Poynter's NewsU, Get Me Rewrite and Cleaning Your Copy, teach the skills we all need.)

In a self-deprecating way, Harding takes issue with a harsh descriptive that Times writer Charles McGrath tosses out. McGrath calls Harding "doughy." Harding explains that at first he tried to see it in the most positive light. Then he breaks out his dictionary and discovers this definition:
"So there you go," Harding writes. "It is now a matter of public record. I'm pallid and flabby."  - Ouch. Although he is pretty pale, he's not really fat, even in high-def. Ultimately Harding redirects his followers to a Chicago Tribune blog post, which has no errors and doesn't call him doughy.

Harding's response is a good-humored, low-stakes reminder to journalists everywhere how important it is to get it right. I find myself identifying with and sympathizing with McGrath, even though these days I'm quoted by journalists more often than I write my own articles. When you are a source, the little inaccuracies float to the surface. It's a tall order to double check every little detail; and I need a copy-editor more than most. I'll probably use Harding's post to teach the value of accuracy, but more importantly as a reminder to myself.