Fair and Accurate Reporting Can (Still) Right Wrongs
Program Date: May 20, 2022

5 takeaways:

The idea of objectivity is a myth. Journalistic objectivity has been defined through a white, college-educated, male, Christian, hetero-normative lens, and other worldviews can be branded as biased, MLK50 Editor and Publisher Wendi C. Thomas told NPF Widening the Pipeline fellows. [Transcript | Video]

Her journalistic expertise, coupled with being a Black woman born in the South, negates that line of thinking—especially when reporting on economic injustice. “So, because we write about people who are low-wage, marginalized, vulnerable, someone might say, ‘Oh, you’re pro improving those people’s lives.’ Yes, we are, and we’re okay with that. We think that’s a worthwhile goal and a good use of our journalism tools in pursuit of justice.” For more on the debate over objectivity in journalism, see journalism professor Kathleen McElroy’s talk here about how objectivity has been “weaponized” against journalists of color.

Find a source of inspiration. One of Thomas’s heroes is Ida B. Wells, the pioneering Black journalist who spoke out against lynching in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Her newsroom is named after the pastor and Civil Rights legend who was committed to economic justice. That’s why she says their work is “unapologetically progressive.” “Our core areas are poverty, power and policy, and so we’re looking for stories that sit at that intersection,” Thomas said.

Great stories can be hidden inside others. MLK50’s investigation into the debt collection practices of Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital put the newsroom on the national investigative map. It began after Thomas read a ProPublica story about racialized bankruptcy proceedings in Shelby County, Tenn. When Thomas learned that most bankruptcies stemmed from medical debt, she began attending general court sessions to get more detail. “These defendants’ only mistake was being sick and poor at the same time,” Thomas said. “This hospital was taking money they didn’t have, often garnishing their wages, causing them to lose homes, cars. And this is a nonprofit hospital that’s supposed to be providing charity care to the poor.”

Nothing beats shoe-leather reporting. Thanks to a partnership with ProPublica, Thomas spent a lot of time with one of the central subjects of the Methodist Le Bonheur reporting, Ms. Carrie. Thomas traveled with her to court, recorded interviews, had her sign permission forms, reviewed her medical records, credit reports, etc. The massive amount of paperwork and data that had to be sorted and combined was daunting, but ultimately worth it when Methodist Le Bonheur announced it was suspending its debt collection system and making sweeping overhauls.

Bulletproof your story. Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital officials refused all interview requests. When Thomas saw their lawyers in court, they were polite, but wouldn’t comment. That made the reporting doubly difficult—but that’s when you must make sure there are no surprises, Thomas said. Before publishing, “We went back to the hospital and sent them a list of all our key findings and questions to give them an opportunity to respond and say, ‘No, that conclusion you’ve drawn there is wrong,’ or ‘These numbers aren’t accurate,’ or, ‘You’re misreading this.’” That type of bulletproofing ensured that officials couldn’t claim to be taken off guard.


The Widening the Pipeline Fellowship is sponsored by the Evelyn Y. Davis Foundation, Bayer, J&J and Twitter. NPF is solely responsible for the content.

Wendi C. Thomas
Founding Editor and Publisher, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
1
Transcript
How the MLK50: Justice Through Journalism Project Helped Reshape the Face of Investigative Journalism
Subscribe on YouTube
7
Resources
Justice Through Journalism Resources

Sources of Local Income Data for Journalists-PDF

How the Bankruptcy System Is Failing Black Americans,” Paul Kiel with Hannah Fresques, ProPublica, September 2017

Methodist Le Bonheur Makes Millions, Owns a Collection Agency and Relentlessly Sues the Poor,” Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, June 2019

Low-Wage Workers: Sued for Unpaid Medical Bills by a Nonprofit Christian Hospital That Employs Them,” Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, June 2019

Methodist Hospital Suspends Debt Collection Lawsuits Amid Furor Over Suing Its Own Employees,” Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, July 2019

‘“Humbled”: Nonprofit Christian Hospital Dials Back Aggressive Debt Collection and Raises Wages…,” Wendi C. Thomas and Deborah Douglas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, July 2019

Methodist erased $11.9 million in hospital debt for thousands; here are four stories,” Wendi C. Thomas and Deborah Douglas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, December 2019

Help Make Good Journalists Better
Donate to the National Press Foundation to help us keep journalists informed on the issues that matter most.
DONATE ANY AMOUNT
You might also like
Objectivity in Journalism: New Norms Under Debate
Measuring Poverty and Inequality