Tips for resisting fake news: “The way our memory works means it might be impossible to resist fake news completely,” writes Julian Matthews.
Think like a scientist: Ask what type of content it is, where it is published and who benefits.
Category Archives: Minimizing Harm
NYT Privacy Project
NYT Privacy Project: The Times launches an investigation into the erosion of digital privacy, including its own practices.
“Though we know we must participate in this messy and rapidly changing ecosystem — one with plenty of bad actors — we are also working to ensure our own data practices live up to our values,” writes Publisher A.G. Sulzberger.
April Fooling
April fooling: The Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists once got a call from a reporter asking if it would be ethical to write an April Fools’ Day story in the tradition of the late hoaxer George Plimpton. See the advice here.
Peoria Journal Star Apologizes For Letter
Peoria Journal Star apologizes for letter: Editor Dennis Anderson said publishing a letter comparing the Illinois governor to Adolph Hitler “crossed a line.”
Linking abortion and the Holocaust was not right, Anderson wrote.
“Reckless references to abominable history are part and parcel to the astonishing decline of public discourse in our country, and in this case we should have known better,” he wrote.
Struggling With Ethical Dilemmas and Difficult Choices
Struggling with ethical dilemmas and difficult choices: Resist the temptation to classify every ethical issue as a dilemma, writes Nancy Matchett in an article appearing in the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists archives.
“When facing a genuine dilemma you are forced, by the circumstances, to do something unethical,” she writes.
Media Restraint Praised
Media restraint praised: Almost every major news organization decided not to publish video of the mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques, write Erik Ortiz, Farnoush Amiri and Claire Atkinson.
“Media and journalism ethics experts who follow mass shooting and terrorist attack coverage told NBC News that it had been encouraging to see outlets recognize when they have crossed a line,” they write.
Occupational Hazards of Journalism
Occupational hazards of journalism: An Australian court rules that newspapers are liable for psychiatric injury to journalists covering traumatic events, write Matthew Ricketson and Alexandra Wake.
Reporter sues for post traumatic syndrome injuries.
Brits Propose Global Tech Ethics Code
Brits propose global tech ethics code: Taking aim at fake news and disinformation, a United Kingdom parliament committee reports “our democracy is at risk” from election interference through social media.
A Plea For School Shooting Standards
A plea for school shooting standards: Education reporters should lead the way toward newsroom standards for covering shootings at schools, writes Emily Richmond;
“They should ask managers when their news outlets will name perpetrators and how often,” she writes. “They should also ask whether coverage of such an event will use tweets sent by students in lockdown, or share videos and photos from scenes of violence.”
High Ethical Standards In Pursuit of News
High ethical standards in pursuit of news: The Center for Journalism
Ethics names ProPublica a finalist for an ethics award.
In telling the story of a high school student trying to escape gang membership, ProPublica did not publish his last name or run photos that might reveal his identity.
