Making transparency clear: Andrew Seaman explains how “transparency” grew as a recognized concept in journalism.
Journalism was largely opaque until the invention and widespread use of the internet, he writes.
“News organizations can no longer stubbornly refuse to issue corrections or other clarifications without pushback,” he writes. “Journalists and news organizations are — in many ways — completely exposed to the public.”
Facebook publishes its community standards:
Hate speech defined as “a direct attack on people based on what we call protected characteristics — race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity and serious disability or disease.”
The goal of its community standards “is to encourage expression and create a safe environment.”
Facebook says “we remove content, disable accounts and work with law enforcement when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety.”
Putting the Sean Hannity quandary to rest: Kevin Horrigan says the pro-Trump Fox News host linked to the president’s lawyer is not a journalist. “He just plays one on TV.”
“Does anyone in America with a room temperature IQ really regard Sean Hannity as a journalist?” Horrigan wites. “Sure, he works for an outfit with ‘news’ in its name. He sits behind a desk and pontificates about news. So do Rush Limbaugh and Bill maher. They are weird hybrids in the media universe: ‘Infotainers.'”
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation updates standards: Sydney Smith quotes source saying, “Given the extra scrutiny applied to journalism, there’s never been a time when standards in journalism have mattered more.”
Accuracy, fairness, balance and impartiality emphasized.
Guidelines include advice for using social media, new technologies like drones and bots and expand on the importance of respect and transparency.
Are talking heads journalists? Fox News host Sean Hannity defines himself as no journalist, opinion journalist and advocacy journalist, writes Michael Calderone.
Linked with the president’s personal lawyer, Hannity is accused of conflict of interest. Calderone quotes a source saying we can’t “move out of the realm of ethics when we move into the realm of opinion.”
Fake News vs. facts: Indira Lakshmanan says the Washington Post deserves a Pulitzer Prize for journalism ethics.
The Post’s investigative journalism “was most extraordinary for its transparency, breaking the fourth wall between the newsroom and readers by revealing those techniques to readers — showing how reporters got the story,” she writes. That reassured the public about the paper’s motives, methods and findings, and inoculated the Post against false claims, she says.
Report For America: Nellie Bowles updates status of nonprofit Report For America, aiming to put a thousand journalists in understaffed newsrooms by 2022.
Applicants “want to try to save democracy,” says a founder. Fellowships last one to two years and pay about $40,000.
“I felt like I needed to give something back to a place that has given a lot to me,” says one of the first reporters selected. “And journalism is the way for me to do that.”
Pulitzer Prize reaction: Ryan Kelly, Pulitzer Prize winner for breaking news photography, tells Justin Ray his reaction to getting the prize for a photo of a car crashing into a crowd of protesters.
“This experience has been bittersweet, and it is way more bitter than sweet,” says Kelly. “A person died, a lot of people were injured, people were in shock, a community has been terrorized.”
Pulitzer Prize’s future: Meg Dalton writes that since 1917, 84 percent of Pulitzer Prize winners were men and 84 percent were white.
The Pulitzer Prize administrator tells Dalton “there so much going on in our country that speaks to diversity that will drive diversification. But our selection of a more diverse jury pool will impact that as well.”
Comey hype warning: Margaret Sullivan warns against a media “swoonfest” as the fired FBI director embarks on a tour to promote his anti-Trump memoir.
“The conflict-addicted media love a high-profile fight, and Comey vs. Trump continues to be a classic steel cage match,” she writes. “That is fine, as long as some critical distance is brought to bear.”
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 