ABSTRACT
Reporters from around the country camped out for two days in Sago, West Virginia, covering the story of 13 coal miners trapped by an explosion two miles inside a mine. Check and double-check all of reporter’s information, no matter where it comes from. A skeptical reporter must work fast, but more importantly she must work carefully. Davey quickly understood that she needed sharp instincts and had to approach each story with a skeptical eye. Citing an official record gives reporters confidence, and reporters can certainly enjoy the legal privilege attached to such documents. But records and documents can be as false as human sources precisely because humans prepare them. Skepticism will keep reporters from jumping on bandwagons and making careless and embarrassing mistakes that undermine reporter’s credibility and that of the organization reporters work for. The challenge is to prevent skepticism from turning into cynicism, and not all journalists have been able to avoid the trap.
