Ethics AdviceLine

  Breitbart.com photo “Every American has a role to play” in combatting the coronavirus menace, says the president. That includes journalists, although President Trump does not seem to recognize that. He excoriates them every chance he gets. NBC’s Peter Alexander asked him at a news conference: “What do you say […]

Climate journalism rage: Emily Atkin describes how she put passion into reporting on climate change. “In order to make an impact on climate journalism, I’ve learned, I need to turn my despair into rage,” she writes. “Only then can others feel the burning importance of the story.”   Visit […]

Journalism with tears: When  broadcasters‘ tears inundate us, their impact is lost, writes Savannah Jacobson. The crying reporter is a new genre of clickbait, she writes.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Crisis demands media collaboration: Working together is more efficient and conserves resources that “could be deployed in smarter ways that the public needs,” writes Dan Gillmore. Be calm, broad, precise, transparent, engaged and relentlessly useful, he writes.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Focusing on public health, not politics: The train wreck becomes the story, at the expense of informing the public or holding power to account, writes Maria Bustillo. MSNBC demonstrates an alternative, sober path away from outrage mania, she writes.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Journalists with kids work at home: As schools close, the impact depends on the age of kids, writes Kristen Hare. “It’s like a snow day, but for a pandemic.”   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Extraordinary times: We can no longer doubt that we are living through extraordinary times, writes Pankaj Mishra about the coronavirus pandemic. “In fact, the last such churning occurred almost exactly a century ago, and it altered the world so dramatically that a revolution in the arts, sciences and philosophy, not […]

WhatsApp fans coronavirus fears: The messaging service spreads panic-inducing conspiracy theories as officials race to contain the outbreak, writes Tony Romm. The are battling an explosion of half-truths and outright falsehoods online, he writes.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Picture this: Today, accuracy in photography is seen as important as accuracy in reporting. Altering is forbidden. From the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists archives.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Covering coronavirus better: Shoddy coverage of the virus can cause panic and overreaction, writes Al Tompkins. Limit adjectives, choose images carefully, frame stories with context, bust myths and get creative. “The public is starting to freak out,” he writes. “Don’t add to it with screaming clickbait headlines and scary generic […]