Thought this might as well be the way to jump start this blog back up.
All posts tagged ethics
Covering Diversity in the Face of Adversity
Veteran journalist Linda Jones led a panel on how to cover diversity UCO Media Ethics Conference.
Selected tweets and tips from the discussion:
- Know the language and standard greeting of the people you’re covering.
- Keep an open mind.
- Watch out for labeling.
- Traditions are different. People think differently aren’t necessarily wrong.
- You may not share the belief system of the person you’re interviews, but you can’t interject your beliefs into the story.
- Ask, “What is your heritage,” not “Where are you from?” You can’t tell just by looking at someone.
- Use social media to reach more people, but don’t rely on it.
Posted by HillaryMcLain on October 29, 2012
https://hillarymclain.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/covering-diversity-in-adversity/
Young Wonder Journalists
- What: Media Ethics Cnference on Oct. 17 at the University of Central Oklahoma.
- Who: Lunch session speaker Farai Chideya (NYU Writer in Residence)
During the lunch session, Farai Chideya explained the currently dilemma of young, successful journalists and the desire to keep succeeding She used the example of Jonah Lehrer (infamous for fabricating Bob Dylan quotes in his novel, “Imagine.”) as a “Boy wonder.”
Now, Chideya asked, why would such a talented young man do something that would end up ruining his entire career? It’s because of the pressure. A boy/girl wonder what Chideya described as a young journalist that because successful much more quickly than his or her peers. After this, that person may feel so compelled to keep producing great content, they’re tempted to cheat. While the path to fame is different, the motivation to cheat to get there remains, Chideya said.
When journalists are likely paid a nominal amount per word, it’s even more tempting. It becomes bread money. Each word, each page needs to be different and exciting to get page views for money. It becomes even more difficult when journalists are expected to output more content than ever before.
In spite of all this pressure, Chideya emphasized the strong reputation a journalist needs to maintain. This may involve putting the news organization’s needs about your own, but that’s part of the job. It’s a privilege to get to be a practicing journalist and have people tell their stories through writing, Chideya said.
Posted by HillaryMcLain on October 26, 2012
https://hillarymclain.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/young-wonder-journalists/
Social media and ethics
- What: Media Ethics Conference on Oct. 17 at the University of Central Oklahoma.
- Who: First session speakers: Kelly McBride (Poynter Journalism Institute) and Farai Chideya (NYU Writer in Residence)
The first session focused on the history of social media, partisanship and journalism through the most recent decade in election coverage. Farai Chideya and Kelly McBride. For me, the use of social media is one of the most interesting parts of journalism, but it’s not always easy to know where to draw the line between your personal life and your professional life. McBride mentioned that social media tends to reveal journalists’ bias, not matter how hard they try to keep from doing so. Chideya followed this up by saying she didn’t believe in true objectivity, but did believe in fairness. Fairness in reporting. But for her, working in a capacity in which she doesn’t have to be objective, it’s easier to use social media without destroying her credibility.
Social media has also blurred the lines between journalists, pundits and citizen journalists now. Now, anyone can comment on political debates, Chideya said. But these people don’t always know what they’re talking about. In addition to this, having a huge number of outlets also causes an explosion in the number of different versions of the story that exist. There is no longer a master version of the truth (held by journalists), but multiple versions or multiple truths that are not always compatible with each other. According to Chideya, this puts a massive burden on modern journalists to get to the source of manipulated photos or videos to see the original truth.
McBride then mentioned how many news organizations were less concerned with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) now. It’s more about how to get your story, your content or your images to go viral on social media. From my own personal media habits, I feel that this really is one of the best ways to get a story out. I know I’m far more likely to read a story if I see a friend recommending it on their Twitter account, than searching for a specific news organization. Chideya also mentioned the ability of a journalist to use their own social media for news curation. Use it to promote your own work, but also stories that you think are important or interesting.
Favorite quote: It is the role of the professional journalist to be able to call out partisanship, but also back it up with expertise, McBride said.
Posted by HillaryMcLain on October 26, 2012
https://hillarymclain.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/social-media-and-ethics/
Hillary McLain 