Welcome to back to the Ethical Journalism Bulletin.
I hope you like the new format which includes less images and more text. Hopefully this will make it easier to read on the go and not obliterate your inboxes. The other change is that I have begun to organise it thematically with more options to find related EJN resources. Please let me know what you think, or, even better, share the newsletter with colleagues who you think will benefit from a weekly dose of the best news and resources on media ethics from around the world. You can find our newsletter back catalogue here.
Journalists and editors from 8 media outlets in Macedonia participated in a workshop conducted by the Ethical Journalism Network from 30-31 March 2017 in Skopje as a part of a media literacy programme run by the School of Journalism and Public Relations and the Media Diversity Institute. The workshop “Media as Watchdogs of Public Interest” was led by the EJN's Director of Campaigns and Communications.
The role of journalism for democracy in South East Europe Academics, students and media development professionals from 15 countries met in Sofia, Bulgaria on 28 March at an event organised by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung to exchange views on reforming journalism education and training in South East Europe. The EJN’s Tom Law, who took part in a panel discussion on the role of journalists for democracy, emphasised that ethics must remain an essential part of any curricula but evolve to embrace the opportunities afforded journalists in the digital age.
Reporting on Sexual and Gender Minorities & Religion in Sub-Saharan Africa
Brian Pellot Director of Global Strategy at Religion News Service & Religion News Foundation organized and led a week-long journalism training workshop in Cape Town with 24 journalists from 15 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa aimed at improving reporting coverage of LGBTQI+ rights and religion. The reporting guide created for the workshop, which includes the EJN’s 5-Point Test For Hate Speech, can be found online here.
Huge thanks to EJN supporters who have translated the infographic into new languages. Get in touch if you would like to translate our hate speech test into your language.
From the Pew Research Center: Many experts fear uncivil and manipulative behaviors on the internet will persist – and may get worse. This will lead to a splintering of social media into AI-patrolled and regulated ‘safe spaces’ separated from free-for-all zones. Some worry this will hurt the open exchange of ideas and compromise privacy.
REPORTING CONFLICT & TERRORISM
UNESCO publishes timely primer for covering terrorism Sherry Ricchiardi writes for IJNET on UNESCO’s new handbook, “Terrorism and the Media,” which is designed to help journalists navigate the many facets of reporting on violent extremism: ...terrorism and the fight against it “have become major elements of domestic and international politics, with the media firmly on the front lines, especially when attacks target civilian populations.” The 110-page manual is not just for those who specialize in national security. In today’s world, any journalist can be thrust into reporting on a terrorist act.
CONNECTING INTERVENTION IN SYRIA TO THE POWER OF IMAGES
On April 8th, CNN's Brian Stelter in his excellent daily Reliable Sources newsletter, explored the ethics and consequences of what journalists show audiences don't. Stelter quotes the Washington Post's Paul Waldman who on wrote:
"It was the images of children killed with chemical weapons that supposedly sent Trump over the edge [...] it's not as though he just found out that children are dying in Syria. We get to see those horrifying images precisely because they are less gruesome than what happens when someone is killed by conventional weapons. If a photojournalist takes a photo of a dead child whose limbs have been blown off by a bomb, you won’t ever see it (and neither will Trump). The newspaper won’t run it, and the evening news won’t show it, because editors consider those images too upsetting. But you will see a photo of a child killed by sarin gas, because her body is intact..."
Stelter concludes: The question that arises: should TV networks routinely show more of the real carnage of war? From, say, the reported civilian deaths from the sites of U.S. strikes in in Iraq and Yemen? Or ISIS executions?
Amy Dunkin writes for about the new initiative administered by the CNYU Graduate School of Journalism to advance news literacy and trust in journalism through funding applied research and projects, and convene meetings with industry experts. Founding funder for the project include: Facebook, Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund, Ford Foundation, Democracy Fund, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Tow Foundation, AppNexus, Mozilla and Betaworks.
Germany’s right wing attacked the media. Now Germans trust the press more than ever. Rick Noack writes for the Washington Post about the parallel worlds of German journalism: In one, reporters face what they call unprecedented distrust and hatred on the streets — and in some cases even violent assaults. A quarter of Germans agree, according to a recent survey, that “Lügenpresse” — a Nazi era word that means “lying press” — is appropriate to describe the media. But in the other,the public's trust in the press is at record-high levels.
Dispatches from The Perugia International Journalism Festival via Journalism.co.uk:
The New Internationalist's community share offer ended last week having raised £704,000 with support from 3,400 new co-owners. After raising over 40% more than the £500,000 the publisher is now owned by its audience and has ambitious plans for the future.
PODCAST OF THE WEEK
We must have somehow failed the story of Syria
CNN's Brian Stelter talks to Arwa Damon about her reflections on covering the war in Syria. Download or listen to the Podcast
If you would like to support the Ethical Journalism Network by translating our guidelines into you language contact Tom Law: tom.law@ethicaljournalismnetwork.org
Visit the Accountable Journalism database of codes of media ethics
