Final answer:
Journalists must provide information that is factual and reliable to ensure objective and trustworthy reporting. They must scrutinize their material critically and differentiate between facts that can be proven and opinions or allegations to maintain credibility.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a journalist is reporting, they must give their readers actual factual and reliable information. The core responsibility of a journalist is to provide reliable information, drawing upon specific facts, statistics, and examples, while ensuring that their reporting is objective and free of bias. The pursuit of objectivity in journalism is demonstrated by individuals such as Charles Blow, who has worked with highly regarded newspapers like The New York Times. In journalism, every statement should be built on evidence and data. Historically, while some media outlets have been biased by adopting partisan journalism or sensationalism like yellow journalism, modern journalism typically strives for objectivity and accurate reporting.
While distinguishing fact from opinion or allegations, journalists must use a critical eye to scrutinize their sources, ensuring the trustworthiness of their material. Facts are statements that can be proven or whose truth can be inferred. This objective approach not only guides reporters but also informs how researchers use sources, distinguishing between material that is directly informative and that which serves as an example of bias or misleading presentation for critical analysis. Therefore, in the context of professional journalism, the answer is 'a) factual and reliable.