Ethics AdviceLine

Hostile media effect: John Davis cites a media expert on public bias toward political  reports. “Hostile media effect involves people who are on opposite sides of an issue who both believe the same report is biased against their own point of view,” writes Davis. News consumers should think about political […]

PBS editor quits, dismayed: Sydney Smith reports that departing public editor Mahulika Sikka found the public does not understand PBS. “During my time as public editor at PBS,” she told Smith, “I was most struck by the fact that most people don’t understand the system, how it was set up, […]

Journalism’s top problems: Jay Rosen lists challenges that torment journalists, including a right-wing populist wave across the U.S. and Europe that views the mainstream press as corrupt and elitist. “In the United States the president is leading a hate movement against journalism,” Rosen writes. He also finds that discovering a […]

Celebrity death hoaxes: Daniel Funke and Alexios Mantzarlis report that celebrity deaths are a popular subgenre of misinformation and offer 15 fact-checking links. “At a time when we are at pains to distinguish ‘real news’ from ‘fake news,’ falling for these shallow fabrications undermines the argument,” they write.   […]

Investigating a journalist: The Houston Chronicle’s editor says “we have launched an investigation into the work of one of our own reporters” who is accused of quoting people who don’t exist. “We owe our readers the truth and to tell you if, in fact, there were inaccuracies in anything we […]

Media trust down, can be restored for some: Gallup and the Knight Foundation release new findings. “These results indicate that attempts to restore trust in the media among most Americans may be fruitful, particularly if those efforts are aimed at improving accuracy, enhancing transparency and reducing bias,” they report. About […]

Covering hurricanes: Kristen Hare and David Beard list ways to prepare for covering dangerous weather. Such as: Plug in and charge everything you have and keep them charged. Bring pencils. Carry a lot of cash. Bring rubber boots. Wear sunscreen. Rent a car.   Source: Covering Hurricanes“>Ethics AdviceLine for […]

Messy case of Twitter account ownership: Jonathan Peters writes about a sports reporter sued by a former employer for failing to hand over his Twitter login information when he changed jobs. “It’s unclear how the case will turn out,” writes Peters. “The problem is twofold: Few cases have addressed social-media […]

The enduring weather person: Andrew McCormick observes that weather reporters entertain audiences in fair weather and counsel them in bad. “It isn’t completely surprising that they would be in demand as storms loom,” he writes. “But it is notable, in the age of Twitter and smart phones, that the broadcast […]

Resisting information disorder: Julie Posetti and Cherilyn Ireton write journalists can push back against the scourge of fake news. “Disinformation and misinformation go beyond challenging journalists’ reputations and safety,” they write. “They question their purpose and effectiveness, and they perpetuate the degradation of journalism to the detriment of civic discourse.” […]