Unlike in the social and libertarian models of news media, the co-creational model is serious about truth. Even if they involve the public in content-creation, fact-checking, dissemination or governance, co-creational organisations and initiatives are still legally and ethically responsible for their output.
Different co-creational news media organisations might define their approach to truth-seeking and truth-telling in very different ways, with stated standards ranging from ‘objectivity’, ‘neutrality’ and ‘impartiality’ to ‘accuracy’ and ‘fairness’, but they all take some kind of responsibility for the truthfulness of their output.
Tips
- Are you clear about who is legally liable for the output of a co-creational news media organisation or initiative? Co-creational governance does not mean that everyone can blame everyone else if something goes wrong.
- If liability is shared, does everyone have a full understanding of this? Are people freely choosing to take on shared liability? Are there other ways in which people can participate without taking on liability?
- If legal liability sits with an individual or small group, are other participants aware of this and respectful of the additional responsibility and pressure that accompany it?
Example
- The Ferret is a co-operative organisation, owned and governed by a blend of journalists and non-journalists, with clear lines of accountability.
