Quoting Message Boards

By Chris Roush
August 6, 2008

Last week, The Wall Street Journal ran a story that questioned whether presidential candidate Barack Obama was losing votes because he’s perceived as being too skinny.

This week, the Journal ran an “amplification” to the story, noting that one of the quotes came from a Yahoo bulletin board response to a post from the reporter who wrote the story.

All of this begs the question: What’s OK – and not OK – for a business reporter when it comes to using message boards, chat rooms and other Internet areas to find and quote sources?

There’s no easy answer to the question. Journalism ethics codes, like that of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, are silent on the issue. Technology is changing the world of business journalism much faster than the guidelines can adjust.

But here’s what I think: If you’re going to use these online areas to find sources for stories, it’s best to use an additional form of communication – like a phone call or a one-on-one e-mail – to verify that the person is who they say they are.

And even then, I’m leery of using anyone – either pro or con – who posts regularly on online message boards devoted to specific companies. These people seem to have hidden agendas most of the time that make the purpose of using them debatable.

I’m fine with using these message boards and chat rooms as a way to find story ideas and read what people who may know more about a topic are thinking. But when it comes to actual reporting the story that’s going to be printed or run on the air, it’s safer to fall back on the tried and true reporting methods than to base a story on a handful of posts from someone who calls themselves “OnlineWarrior43.”

Let me give you an example. Let’s say I’m the reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution who covers Coca-Cola, and I’m scanning the Internet one day and run across a message board that has a number of people slamming its Full Throttle energy drink.

This might cause me to check sales numbers to see how the product is doing, and maybe check with a couple of sources at the company to see if they’re happy with its performance or are preparing to change its advertising or its taste to improve things.

In other words, the message board posts are the tip. But the reporting that leads to the story is still based on what the facts tell you about the situation.

I’m willing to be talked out of my position though. If any of you think I’m off base in my opinion on using sources from message boards and chat rooms, let me know by posting a reply.

Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism