Dave has had a lot to say about the press, inaccurate and incomplete reporting and how some reporters have acted at his and others recently decisions to decline interview requests. I’m not in Dave or Jason‘s league as far as being in demand for interviews, but do them occasionally in regards to Hawaiian music, language and technology as it pertains to the language and our programs. As with Dave and Jason, I have had a wide range of experience from having my thoughts concisely and accurately reported, to having them completely misrepresented.
Wired Magazine did a feature on some of us and our technology work back in the early 90s, and Connie Hale did an amazing job of portraying our work. They had a fact checker call everyone and confirm much of the background material.
What Dave is proposing is no less than what we in academia are required to do. If I write a paper and submit it to a journal, I have to cite my sources so that others can validate the accuracy of my portrayal and interpretations of those sources. If I misinterpret or misrepresent them, my reputation goes out the window. My students have to cite their sources so I can look them up and verify them. It’s called accountability, and I don’t think it is too much to ask of good reporters.
