Ethics AdviceLine

Newsroom diversity failing: We must put the responsibility on the cultural institution we call journalism, not just its individuals or organizations, writes Kathleen McElroy. “Like all white patriarchal institutions in America, journalism has seen itself outside of and superior to race — and also by extension, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion […]

Reader habits keep digital subscribers: Reader habits are key to keep digital subscribers, writes Mark Jacob. The Medill Local News Initiative looked at reader behavior that leads to subscriber retention. Too much content was found to be overwhelming.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Sex abuse against freelancers unnoticed: Though sex abuse in newsrooms was a major story, writes Steven Potter, misconduct against freelance journalists got little attention. Women are especially vulnerable, he writes. They have little recourse against abusers and remain unprotected.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Non-daily dailies: We are on the brink of seeing major cutbacks in newspaper daily delivery and daily printing, writes Ken Doctor. “The big question now on many corporate tables is whether the right number of days to kill is five or six,” he writes.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine […]

Critique the critics: Columbia Journalism Review thinks critically about the role of criticism. “Do we need professional critics?” it asks. “There is something useful they can do: Show people what’s missing in their culture.”   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Ethical aggregation tips: Kelly McBride tells how to aggregate ethically: Transparent attribution, add value, percentages matter and create a mutually beneficial arrangement.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Retiring superannuated: Merrill Perlman traces the origins and uses of the word “superannuated,” and decides it should be used seldom. Keeping the usage to once in an “annum” or so would be super, he  writes.   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Imagining journalism’s audience: The digital age did not sharpen newsroom perceptions of their target audiences, writes James G. Robinson. “The central irony of the newsroom is that while many journalists’ decisions are made with readers in mind, the audiences for their work often remain unfocused, imagined abstractions, built on long-held […]

Using the right word: A memo from the NPR standards editor says sexual abuse victims under 18 should be called girls and boys, not women and men, reports iMediaEthics. Clarifications same when NPR listeners were upset about the language used in reporting on Jeffrey Epstein and R. Kelly.   […]

Audience engagement: Chip Scanlan writes about the power of talking to people in person, “a step that might once have seemed banal, but now seems almost radical.” “There’s no substitute, as any experienced journalist knows, for face-to-face encounters,” he writes. “Though phone or email interviews may sometimes be efficient or […]