An erroneous article about tuna in this week’s Daily Mail is an embarrassing illustration of lazy journalism that goes beyond factual errors and enters the realm of unethical. Author Tom Wyke demonstrates how lazy reporting, paired with zero editorial oversight, can trick readers into viewing an outdated and fundamentally inaccurate story.

How does Mr. Wyke do it?

• Begins by reporting on a study that is from February 2013 – over two years old – using a narrative that misleads readers into thinking it’s a brand new study. To the point that other news outlets, seeing Mr. Wyke’s article, began to incorrectly report on it themselves. After realizing the Daily Mail’s error, those sites have taken down the article. Headlines that suggest Oceana has come out with a new study are completely wrong. The Oceana study Mr. Wyke reports about is nearly two-and-a-half years old.
• Pretties up the old report with new high-res images that take up more space than the content of the article itself.
• Completely misreports on the findings from the old study. The Daily Mail claims that, “When it comes to cans of tuna, Southern California is the worst offender, with 52 per cent of the state’s ‘tuna cans’ not containing tuna at all.” Slight problem here. The study Mr. Wyke is referring to did not test any canned tuna. Woops. Oceana’s own report says, “Oceana did not test any canned tuna samples and all samples labeled as ‘white tuna’ were purchased at restaurants or sushi venues.”

So, while canned tuna is never mentioned in the findings of Oceana’s 2013 study, it is the marquee finding in Daily Mail’s story this week. Keep in mind this is a writer who is reporting on a study that is over two years old without ever disclosing that information to readers. Why let facts and dates get in the way of a quick, easy scare-story?

If the Daily Mail has any commitment to accuracy they will remove this article immediately. Or leave it up and we will continue to point to it in perpetuity for journalism students, so they can see how not to do their future job.