Ethics AdviceLine

Decade of media ethics: Sydney Smith gives an overview of major issues and trends from 2010-2019. The term “fake news” rises in political reporting. Hoaxes, lawsuits, retractions and firings crop up in covering the president. The last half of the decade saw an apparent decrease in plagiarism and fabrication cases. […]

Visual misinformation: The unsung heroes of the internet who develop standards for structured data are turning their attention to visual misinformation, writes Joshua Benton. Applying deepfakes and cheapfakes to videos.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Instant messaging apps: Sharon Moshavi writes that news is heading to a place that presents a new set of challenges. “If journalists don’t step up, audiences won’t find much credible news on private messaging apps,” she writes.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

News on stage: Catherine Adams writes: “One of the best ways journalism can address its well-documented crisis in credibility is to meet its readers face-to-face.” Newsrooms across the world are experimenting with “live news” formats and filling theaters.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Covering tragedy delicately: Four Pulitzer Prize recipients give advice on approaching victims and survivors, writes Bobby Ross Jr. You need to ask victims or family members for permission to intrude in their most vulnerable moments. Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Fact-checking hits and misses: Presidential fake news tweets found to spur greater interest to read more news. Denise-Marie Ordway sums up 2019 research on fake news warnings.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Newspaper corrections: The Toronto Star’s public editor, Kathy English, surveys a decade of Star corrections. Misspelled or mangled names account for about 30 percent. “I have learned through these years that most every mistake the Star’s journalists make matters to someone for some reason,” she writes. Visit the Ethics […]

Top words of 2019: Merrill Perlman describes the rise of “they” as a gender-neutral pronoun, and “climate emergency” signals increasing urgency to view what is happening to earth as an “existential” threat.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Anonymous sources: Most reporters know that stories are only as good as the reliability of identified sources who are quoted. From the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists archives.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Media ethics issues of 2019: Sydney Smith summarizes noteworthy media ethics issues. Misinformation, verification, racism, bad taste and damaging tweets from the past are among them.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.