Government‑as‑Source Syndrome

A journalism norm where reporters treat official records or spokespeople as the default, decisive arbiter of truth, substituting deference for independent, on‑the‑ground verification. This habit privileges institutional paperwork and denials over eyewitness reporting and crowdsourced evidence, especially in fast‑moving, contested local stories. — If routine, this syndrome centralizes epistemic authority in government offices, weakens investigative accountability, and reshapes which claims can gain traction in public debates.