All posts by cbukro

About cbukro

Casey Bukro was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame in 2008 for outstanding contributions to Chicago journalism, after a 45 year career with the Chicago Tribune. Bukro retired from the Tribune in 2007 as overnight editor. He had pioneered in environmental reporting and in 1970 became the first full-time environment specialist at a major metropolitan newspaper in the United States and covered major developments on that beat for 30 years. He won the newspaper’s highest editorial award in 1967 for a series on Great Lakes pollution. The Society of Professional Journalists awarded Bukro its highest honor, the Wells Key, in 1983 for writing that organization’s first code of ethics. He is a past president of SPJ’s national ethics committee and a past president of the Chicago Headline Club. Bukro graduated with bachelor and master degrees from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. In 1998, he received the Northwestern University Alumni Association’s alumni service award for 17 years of volunteer service to the university. He has lectured in environmental journalism and journalism ethics at Northwestern, the University of Chicago, DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, Columbia College, Columbia University and others. Before joining the Tribune staff, Bukro worked at the former City News Bureau of Chicago and the Janesville Gazette, Janesville, Wis. View all posts by cbukro →

Sleep Whispering

February 11, 2020Broadcast news, radiocalm, NiemanLab, podcasts, sleepcastscbukro

Sleep whispering: Listeners value calming sleepcasts that make them snooze, but not podcasts, writes Nicholas Quah.

“The question that needs to be asked is: Why will people pay for Calm but not for the premium tier in a podcast app?” he writes.

Obscene Comics

February 10, 2020Accountability, Cartoons, Freedom of Speech, Media, Minimizing HarmCBR.com, comic news, comics, obscenitycbukro

Obscene comics: Artist Michael Diana is the first cartoonist in U.S. history to be jailed for obscenity, writes Meagan Damore.

Diana was sentenced in 1994 to prison, probation, community service and told to take a journalism ethics course, get a psychological exam, draw nothing obscene and avoid minors. He says public attitudes changed since the mid-1990s.

Religious Journalists

February 7, 2020Accountability, Accuracy, MediaColumbia Journalism Review, faith, religion, religious journalistscbukro

Religious journalists: The Columbia Journalism Review conducts a roundtable of journalists of faith.

“In newsrooms, religious practices often goes unspoken — but maybe it can be an edge,” says CJR, in giving the public information they don’t have.

Objectivity Explored

February 6, 2020Accountability, Accuracy, MediaJournalism, neutrality, objectivity, The New Republiccbukro

Objectivity explored: “The ideal of objectivity has led to an increase in ‘both-sidesism’ — often elaborate attempts to avoid showing favor to any person in a story,” writes Will Meyer.

Saving journalism will mean saving it from a false notion of objectify, he writes.

Poll Results Canceled

February 5, 2020Accountability, Accuracy, MediaCNN, DesMoines Register, iMediaEthics, political pollscbukro

Poll results canceled: An electronic glitch is blamed for casting doubts on a poll of Iowa democrats, so results are not released, writes David W. Moore.

It matters that two media organizations and the pollster agreed to adhere to the highest ethical standards by not releasing data that might be faulty, he writes.

Mobile Reporting Ethics

February 4, 2020Accountability, Accuracy, Media, mobile journalismEthics, mobile journalismcbukro

Mobile reporting ethics: Ethicist David Craig lists tweets in which “these journalists highlighted a range of ethical challenges in mobile journalism.” From the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists archives.

Fact-Checker’s Dilemma

February 3, 2020Accountability, Accuracy, Media, Online Newsfact checking, NiemanLab, political polarizationcbukro

Fact-checker’s dilemma: Facts alone have limited power to resolve politicized issues like climate change or immigration policy, writes Adrian Bardon.

We accept expert testimony we like and reject the rest.

Jim Lehrer’s Rules

January 31, 2020Accountability, Accuracy, Broadcast news, Compassion, Media, Minimizing Harm, Television newsEthics Alarms, Jim Lehrer, LTD, ProEthicscbukro

Jim Lehrer’s rules: Ethicist Jack Marshall tells the 16 rules of journalism espoused by TV host Jim Lehrer, who died recently.

“It’s an excellent, excellent list, reflecting an experienced and ethically astute professional’s keen understanding of what his profession is supposed to do for our society, and the best way to do it,” writes Marshall. Lehrer moderated eleven presidential debates.

Getting It Right

January 30, 2020Accuracy, Broadcast news, Media, Minimizing Harm, Television newsABC News, fatalities, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Timescbukro

Getting it right: ABC News suspends correspondent who falsely speculated about Kobe Bryant crash fatalities, writes Stephen Battaglio.

“Journalism organizations have a heightened sensitivity over errors because they can give ammunition to President Trump’s attacks on the media, which he frequently describes as ‘fake news,'” he writes.

Speaking Ill of the Dead

January 29, 2020Accountability, Compassion, Independence, Media, Minimizing Harm, newspapers, Online News, Weighing Benefits and HarmKobe Bryant, rape, Washington Postcbukro

Speaking ill of the dead: A backlash against Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez for mentioning the Kobe Bryant rape case “steams from the ancient wisdom that urged folks not to speak ill of the dead,” writes Erik Wemple.

“A fine rule for everyone except for historians and journalists….,” he writes.