Speaking ill of the dead: A backlash against Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez for mentioning the Kobe Bryant rape case “steams from the ancient wisdom that urged folks not to speak ill of the dead,” writes Erik Wemple.
“A fine rule for everyone except for historians and journalists….,” he writes.
Kobe coverage chaotic: The rush to get news first forced errors, reports Margaret Sullivan.
“In any major breaking news event, whether a hurricane or a school shooting, you can assume that some of the early coverage will be wrong,” she writes. “The Kobe Bryant story was an especially bad example of that truism.”
Canada media and royals clash: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle warn media about privacy, writes Darcy Schild.
It’s “new territory” for Canadian media and privacy laws, which are “relatively undefined.”
Visual misinformation: The unsung heroes of the internet who develop standards for structured data are turning their attention to visual misinformation, writes Joshua Benton.
Applying deepfakes and cheapfakes to videos.
Covering tragedy delicately: Four Pulitzer Prize recipients give advice on approaching victims and survivors, writes Bobby Ross Jr.
You need to ask victims or family members for permission to intrude in their most vulnerable moments.
Media ethics issues of 2019: Sydney Smith summarizes noteworthy media ethics issues.
Misinformation, verification, racism, bad taste and damaging tweets from the past are among them.
Ethics codes overhaul: Bill Grueskin writes that the digital age needs a new code of ethics.
2020 “ought to be the year that our ethics codes get an overhaul, as journalists face relentless business pressures, relinquish even more control over how our content is distributed and framed and deal with the consequences of anonymity, doxing and transparency. It’s more urgent than ever, as our country becomes increasingly polarized and as trust in the news media remains tepid.”
Revenge porn and privacy: Deanna Paul writes the U.S. Supreme Court might decide on the difference between free speech and invasion of privacy in an Illinois revenge porn case.
Moving and inspiring journalism: Columbia Journalism Review offers 20 best of the decade stories that “have risen above the noise, and even suggested a path forward….”
Hate crimes collaboration: ProPublica’s three-year project involving hundreds of newsrooms published over 230 stories, writes Rachel Glickhouse.
“Our approach included asking people to tell us their stories of experiences or witnessing hate crimes and bias incidents.”
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 