Automated journalism: Newsrooms always adapted to new technology like artificial intelligence, writes Nicholas Diakopoulos.
“Reporting, listening, responding and pushing back, negotiating with sources, and then having the creativity to put it together — AI can do none of these indispensable journalistic tasks,” he writes.
Public editors redux: Kyle Pope announces the appointment of public editors for The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN and MSNBC.
“As watchdogs for the biggest news organizations in the country, they’ll be ready to call out mistakes, observe bad habits and give praise where it’s due,” he writes. “Most importantly, these public editors will engage with readers and viewers, bridging a critical gap.”
Reporting on abortion: NPR has careful guidelines for reporting on abortions, writes Sydney Smith.
The goal is to be factual, clear and non-political. NPR does not use terms like “pro-life” or “pro-choice.”
Stickers warn of false news: Some fact-checkers around the world developed sticker warnings, writes Cristina Tardaguila.
“For now, they seem to be a nice (and colorful) way to tell friends and family they are spreading low-quality information — and should think twice before sharing content,” she writes.
Fixing contrived news: A Pew Research poll finds Americans think made-up news is a bigger problem than terrorism, violent crime and climate change.
They blame political leaders and activists for misleading news, but expect journalists to fix the problem.
A perfect news product: Ron LaForme calls morning newsletters something all publications should consider.
One sent by The Buffalo News “combined packaging of news, politics, food, sports and other tidbits” painting a lively portrait of the Western New York region.
Salt Lake Tribune seeks nonprofit status: In a novel approach, the newspaper wants to convince the IRS that it operates for educational purposes, writes Christine Schmidt.
“The IRS will be the judge of that,” she writes.
AP tweets on term “racist.”
In a series of tweets, AP explains its style usage.
“In general, avoid using racist or any other label as a noun for a person; it’s far harder to match the complexity of a person to a definition or label than it is a statement or action. Instead, be specific in describing the person’s words or actions.”
The Facebook effect: Users often think they are immune to negative influences of social media, while others are not, writes Joseph B. Walther.
“That paradox helps explain why more than 2 billion people continue to use the site each month,” writes Walther, “and it also helps explain what’s behind the pressure to regulate” Facebook.
Liar’s dividend explained: Exposing lies can have an unsettling backlash, writes Kelly McBride.
“Debunking fake or manipulated material like videos, audios or documents ultimately could stoke belief in the fakery,” she writes, making it harder for the public to trust the media. Collaboration by media could help.
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 