Given the sheer scale and impact of recent goings-on at News International – events which have shaken the UK tabloid press to its core and cast major doubt over the British newspaper business – now is arguably not the best time to be defending the journalistic profession.
However, I couldn’t help but feel slightly hard done by when last month one member of the fresh produce trade suggested – albeit lightheartedly – that it was a “bad time to be a journalist”.
Here at Eurofruit and on all our sister titles including the Fresh Produce Journal, Asiafruit, Americafruit, Fresh Convenience and Produce Plus, I can assure you that journalistic ethics and accountability are ingrained.
Doing all we can to check the veracity of a story is important to us when chasing a lead, but underhand methods play no part in our investigations.
In some cases, we don’t print stories for the very reason that we cannot be 100 per cent sure they are true.
Direct sourcing
Ultimately, our aim is always to speak to the people involved directly. That’s why our August 2011 issue carries an interview with Shlomo Nass of Agrexco about his efforts to sell the troubled company.
It’s also why, when I was told last month that a leading fresh produce executive would be stepping down soon, I immediately asked him flat out; he denied it was true, so I took him at his word and that was that.
Objectivity as well as balanced opinion is especially important in business journalism; yes, we rely on advertisers to support our commercial enterprise, but what we have to give back in return is not only a platform for companies to promote themselves but also a true reflection of the industry in which they operate.
Rather than chase subscription revenue by publishing revelations which undermine the industry, our goal is to support the fresh produce business and, in doing so, maintain the trust shown in us by those we interview and speak to.
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