Blog

Ethics quiz: A managing editor discovers his city hall reporter is having an affair with the mayor. If you were the editor, what would you do? The editor called the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists for help. We’ve been there. https://ethicsadvicelineforjournalists.org/2015/04/14/conflict-of-interest-the-perils-of-journalists-in-love/   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog for more.

Reporting tragedy — the “death knock:” “Each person a journalist contacts may react differently: slam a door in their face, break down in tears or welcome the chance to speak about a loved one,” writes Laura Hardy. “A journalist needs to be prepared for every possible scenario.”   Visit […]

Editorial cartoon ethics: iMediaEthics noticed a growing debate over cartoon ethics, and published 11 controversial cartoons of 2018. Four of the cartoonists were fired. Publications apologized for some of them, and stood by others. The cartoons focused on politics, sports and tragedies.     Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog […]

A symphony way to rescue journalism: Some cities are going to adopt this non-profit, community-based model to rescue journalism outlets or create new ones, predicts Bill Grueskin. “Symphonies depend on ticket sales and a few retail sales, but they can’t survive without philanthropy.”   Visit the Ethics AdviceLine blog […]

The truth sandwich: Repeating a lie helps it to live on, writes Craig Newmark. “I predict that, in 2019, news organizations will start to institute new reporting methods to avoid being complicit. Tactics may include adopting the ‘truth sandwich,’ which means covering a lie by presenting the truth first and […]

Regaining public trust in journalism: “News organizations and journalism educators should teach members of the public (and their own journalists) how to stop being used as pawns in the meta-game of online disinformation,” writes Marie Shanahan. “One antidote to modern information gamesmanship is more ethics and professional reporting.” Visit […]

News dying, not journalism: News is losing its cultural relevance after two centuries, writes Hossein Derakhshan. “The challenge for journalism in the years to come is to reinvent itself around something other than news, whilst resisting the seduction of propaganda and entertainment,” he writes. “Innovation in journalism should not only […]

Social media tops print as news source: For the first time, more Americans get news from social media than print newspapers, says the Pew Research Center. Overall, television still is the most popular platform for news consumption, writes Elisa Shearer. Age gaps widen in media preferences. Print’s popularity persists among […]

Advice to aspiring journalists: “Most journalists are, whether they think of themselves this way or not, explainers,” writes David Roberts. “They are in the business of making sense of the torrent of information constantly deluging us all.” Bottom line: “There are many different ways to do good journalism, but there […]

Scalp headline an ethical lapse: Native American Journalists Association criticizes a newspaper for reference to genocidal practices. “Referring to the act of scalping Indigenous people violates the dignity of men, women and children that were victims of the practice,” says the association. “More importantly, such language downplays crimes now defined […]