Need For Closure: A Reporter’s Journey
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As a little girl, my town crier tendencies for the mundane — yet all-important — events in the world of a kid were legendary: “David fell off his bike!” or “The dog caught a rabbit!” or “The mail is here!”
And now, as an adult and full-fledged journalist, when life is much more complicated, it’s not enough for me to shout from the rooftops what’s happening. I need to understand why and how. And make it snappy.
It seems I’m not alone.
No matter what the event, there is a proven psychological “need for closure” that drives journalists and the public to learn and process information in a blink of an eye. As Maria Konnikova writes in The New Yorker:
“The term “cognitive closure” was coined by the social psychologist Arie Kruglanski, who eventually defined it as “individuals’ desire for a firm answer to a question and an aversion toward ambiguity,” a drive for certainty in the face of a less than certain world. When faced with heightened ambiguity and a lack of clear-cut answers, we need to know—and as quickly as possible.”
The mistakes journalists make in reporting news in “Breaking News” situations are at the heart of the N.F.C. theory. The storytellers and the public are clamoring for one thing: answers. And with answers come reassurance and understanding and a place to put the information in the box in your brain. The psychic need is so strong that networks can greatly boost their profits during “breaking” stories.
But from a purely mercenary point of it, doesn’t that argue for prolonging the definitive answers – especially if you’re a network exec with a Profit and Loss statement to manage? Instead, networks tout “exclusives” telling the world their reporters are the best. And if the answers come too soon, the mystery may dissolve, causing viewers to tune out.
Nonetheless, Konnikova’s conclusion that the need for closure cannot be a crutch “to be the first to tweet or post or report” is spot on–and not only because of the mistakes made by social and mainstream media during the Boston bombings. Just because we know why we do something, doesn’t mean we should do it.
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