Rage and the media: There is some merit to Trump’s claim that the media contributed to the current climate of fear and anger, writes Matt Lewis.
“Tell the truth, but in a way that is responsible,” he writes. “Eschew things that are salacious or done simply to gin up excitement. Exercise restraint and forbearance. The onus is on us to police ourselves. With great power comes great responsibility.”
Ethics of publishing mugshots: Is it preying on human suffering? Corey Hutchins reports that mugshots are a staple for some local newsrooms, while others avoid them.
“Some of those accused said they lost jobs and housing or relocated because they couldn’t find work,” writes Hutchins. Outcome of the cases often unknown.
Freelancers: Beware the “rights grab:” Jack Davies warns freelancers to guard against rights grabs, “shorthand for a move by publications of all stripes to demand full moral and intellectual rights to freelance reporters’ work.” Remove that from contracts.
Tips on pitching freelance stories: Knowing exactly what your story is about is crucial to piquing an editor’s interest, writes Tim Herrera.
Write “a solid, clear, powerful nut graf,” he advises. Impress the editor.
“Get me interested to learn more, but more important, make me want to tell this story to the readers of my publication,” writes Herrera.
Youths are best at telling fact from opinion: A Pew Research Center news analysis finds younger Americans are better than elders at separating factual statements in the news from opinion.
“This stronger ability to classify statements regardless of their ideological appeals may well be tied to the fact that younger adults — especially Millennials — are less likely to strongly identify with either political party,” write Jeffrey Gottfried and Elizabeth Greico.
“Younger Americans also are more ‘digitally savvy’ than their elders, a characteristic that is also tied to greater success at classifying news statements.”
Click-driven reporting a bad idea: “For many in the media, analytics rule,” writes Jim Shella. It’s all about clicks.
“News judgment and gut feelings are replaced by analytics,” Shella writes, but “leadership sometimes requires turning a blind eye to analytics.”
MAGA cap gets reporter fired: A Minnesota multimedia reporter is fired for wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap while covering a Trump rally, writes Sydney Smith.
NBC-affiliate KTTC news director says staff members are forbidden to cover stories while wearing political campaign attire. The Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics says journalists should act independently and avoid conflicts of interest.
Cleveland.com is exploring allowing people to request that their names be removed from stories about minor crimes they committed, writes Sydney Smith.
“Typically, news outlets do not unpublish — or hit delete — on historical stories,” writes Smith. Names would be removed from older stories if court records in their case were expunged. Use of mug shots will be greatly curtailed.
Phone hacking backfires: Sydney Smith writes that the News Of The World’s publisher continues to settle phone hacking claims seven years after the British newspaper shut down in a scandal that erupted over invasion of privacy and confidentiality.
The newspaper’s publisher “is still paying out and admitting to phone hacking allegations against it,” Smith writes.
Hurricane coverage debated: Meteorologists dislike the exclusive use of categories in defining the threats of hurricanes, reports Jed Gottlieb.
They want to see more reports with information readers and viewers can use to make important decisions, but do not agree on a better system. Local news is praised for being as urgent as needed.
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 