Criticizing journalists responsibly: Don’t make it personal, writes Philip Eil.
“In all cases, stick to the work, not the person,” he writes. Journalists are perfectionists. If your goal is to cause emotional pain, pointing to flaws in their work is often more upsetting than a personal attack.
It’s “a good time for a refresher for citizens on what constitutes a healthy, constructive conversation about the work we produce,” Eil writes.
How rape is covered by news media: News reflects rape culture, or local norms toward sexual assault, writes Meg Dalton.
“Rape culture is difficult to measure,” she writes, “but there are a few common characteristics like victim blaming, implying victim consent, questioning victim credibility and empathy for the alleged perpetrator.”
Medill spotlights local news collapse: As newsroom jobs disappear, writes Mark Jacob, some areas of the country are virtually uncovered by journalism and plagues all news consumers with more superficiality and mistakes.
“Which means there’s plenty to read and view, but it might not tell us very much,” he writes on the local news crisis as part of the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Does journalism matter? The public no longer reads us and politicians dismiss us, says Kyle Pope.
“Here’s the bottom line,” he writes. “We do these stories because we believe in something even bigger than what will become of them.”
They are important. Readers deserve to know them. They get us closer to truth. They’re the right thing to do.
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 