Masking the coronavirus: Seeing is believing, writes Al Tompkins, but “hospitals are blocking journalists from documenting what it’s like inside their walls….”
Imagery from inside hospitals is needed, though “no reasonable person would suggest journalists should sneak into hospitals to grab photos.”
Journalists with kids work at home: As schools close, the impact depends on the age of kids, writes Kristen Hare.
“It’s like a snow day, but for a pandemic.”
Covering coronavirus better: Shoddy coverage of the virus can cause panic and overreaction, writes Al Tompkins.
Limit adjectives, choose images carefully, frame stories with context, bust myths and get creative.
“The public is starting to freak out,” he writes. “Don’t add to it with screaming clickbait headlines and scary generic images.”
Hurricane hoaxes: “Hurricanes, just like floods or earthquakes, are commonly surrounded by hoaxes and might trigger the sharing of false information,” writes Cristina Tardaguila.
Make sure you know where to find official information.
Mass shootings spawn misinformation: Fact-checking the El Paso and Dayton shootings revealed three findings, write Daniel Funke, Susan Benkelman and Cristina Tardaguila.
Conspiracy mongering, rumors via messaging apps and hoaxes abound.
Newsroom diversity failing: We must put the responsibility on the cultural institution we call journalism, not just its individuals or organizations, writes Kathleen McElroy.
“Like all white patriarchal institutions in America, journalism has seen itself outside of and superior to race — and also by extension, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion and able-bodiedness,” she writes.
Ethical aggregation tips: Kelly McBride tells how to aggregate ethically: Transparent attribution, add value, percentages matter and create a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Steps to collaborative journalism: “Collaborative projects focus on the experiences of affected people and represent exciting changes,” writes Emily Goligoski. Start with a revenue model.
Photos of dead bodies: Images of the bodies of a man and his daughter drowned in the Rio Grande are examples of journalists showing a truth the public would prefer not to see, writes Kelly McBride.
“Don’t exploit horrific photos without a journalistic purpose,” she advises. “But don’t hide them or place too many barriers in front of them, lest you duck your most important job.”
A welcome shift in news ethics: Kelly McBride notes a vast majority of media covering the Virginia Beach murders refrained from naming the shooter unless absolutely necessary.
“It demonstrates that newsrooms can alter their standards and practices in a fairly dramatic way over a relatively short period of time….,” she wrote, to avoid glorifying a criminal and inspiring future mass murders.
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 