"Ethics – The Media’s Unique Selling Proposition" by Kjersti Løken Stavrum, CEO of the Tinius Trust. + Our round-up of global media ethics news.
5 July 2018
ETHICS: THE MEDIA'S USP
“Women over 65 years write very rude things on the internet.”
This somewhat surprising headline in Svenska Dagbladet was also the conclusion after one year of work by the Swedish network for research on hate on the internet, Nätverket Näthatsgranskaren. They too were surprised by this finding. Their best explanation was that these women are the true victims of fake news. They are not accustomed to fake journalism-like content, they are not trained in investigating the sources and, they believe in what they read.
How can professional media sustain and build crucial trust among their readers without letting fake news diluting their position? At a time when propaganda, misinformation, fake news and not least an increasing distrust in the established media in many countries, professional journalists should not be hesitant in communicating what they represent, what makes them professional and trustworthy. Can we apply business and public relations theory with the need for a USP in the newsroom?
EJN Board Member, Kjersti Løken Stavrum, the CEO of the Tinius Trust, writes in a recent booklet “Fighting Fakes — The Nordic Way” published by the Nordic Council of Ministers, that this is where journalism ethics as a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) has a part to play.
Refugee crisis: the immediate and lasting impacts of powerful images: Recent images and footage of migrant children housed in wire cages near the United States’ southern border have fuelled global outrage. Apart from driving policy in the short term, do confronting images create change in public perception and willingness to act in relation to refugee issues?
Turkey: Elections in a fake news climate: Snap elections in Turkey took place on June 25 against a backdrop of turmoil, conflict and crises, and amid a continued clampdown on freedom of expression and civil liberties, writes Beatrice White for the Green European Journal.
Internet Reform: Facebook and a Fight Behind Enemy Lines: Aidan White reviews a new book outlining arguments for abandoning social media by Jaron Lanier, an internet pioneer who says we should reclaim the net for the sake of our sanity and our humanity.
Scroll down for our summary of global media ethics news.
- Can journalists counteract hatred toward the press? It starts with explaining what we do. (Poynter) - To rebuild trust, we need to change journalistic process (CJR) - ICFJ publishes a journalism ethics manual for the digital era (IJNET) - Are we all wrong about nearly everything? Fact-checking puzzles from Global Fact V (AfricaCheck)
- Last chance to fill in the blanks on funding journalism’s future (Guardian)
- Dear Journalists, Stop Being Loudspeakers for Liars, An open letter to newsrooms everywhere (Dan Gilmore/Medium)
IMAGES
- Getty Images deletes Photo Gallery of World Cup ‘Sexiest Fans’ (iMediaEthics) - News media paid Melania Trump thousands for use of photos in 'positive stories only' (NBC) - Why Comics Are So Effective at Telling Refugees’ Stories (News Deeply)
GUIDELINES AND CODES
- How ICIJ deals with massive data leaks like the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers (ICIJ) - In 2018, coherence is bad journalism, bordering on malpractice. How journalists can do a better job covering polarizing subjects--in ways that people will actually hear. (Nieman Lab) - There are a lot of rote tasks a good AI interviewer could do for you (CJR) - The Rory Peck Trust has published a new Digital Security Guide for freelance journalists.
PLATFORMS
- How to fix what has gone wrong with the internet (The Economist)
- Facebook tweaks political ads policy, but not enough to satisfy irate publisher (DIGIDAY)
- How do we reduce harm done by social media while protecting free speech? (The Times)
GLOBAL ETHICS NEWS
AFRICA
GHANA: Ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas has explained why he showed explosive documentary on corruption in football in Ghana to President Akufo Addo before airing it to the public. (Ghana Web) NIGERIA: Nigeria's Grand Plan to Stop Fake News in 2019? Fight Fire With Fire. (African Arguments)
AMERICAS
MEXICO: Ahead of Mexico’s largest election, Verificado 2018 sets an example for collaborative journalism (IJNET) US: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s spiked anti-Trump cartoons will get a D.C. museum exhibit (Washington Post) US: The war against the press comes to the local newsroom (CJR) US: Veteran journalist Rod Hicks named SPJ’s first Journalist on Call (Society of Professional Journalists) US:By focusing on "civility" are we missing the real story? (PBS) US: Mainstream media grapples with a left-wing wave (CJR)
ASIA
AUSTRALIA: Daily Mail Australia Broke Suicide Reporting Guidelines (iMediaEthics) INDIA: How The Quint is tackling misinformation in India (WAN-IFRA) INDIA: As mob lynchings fueled by WhatsApp messages sweep India, authorities struggle to combat fake news (Washington Post) INDONESIA: Ministry says money given to journalists 'form of appreciation' not bribery (Jakarta Post) THAILAND: Media Warned Not to Repeatedly Interview Cave Survivors (Khaosod English)
EUROPE
UK:Times titles launch media literacy scheme in schools to help teach children how to spot 'fake news' (Press Gazette)
MIDDLE EAST
LEBANON: Lebanon jails journalist for insulting minister over treatment of Syria refugees (Al Araby)
EJN ANNUAL REPORT 2017/2018
The Ethical Journalism Network Annual Report for 2017 and the first months of 2018 covers a period in which the buzzwords “fake news” and “post-truth” provided a misleading but appropriate focus for the news industry.
In recent months the challenges of a flawed information landscape have been dramatically exposed with Google, Facebook and other internet giants being called to account for their failure to promptly deal with the pollution of the information landscape.
The EJN's Trust in Ethical Journalism reports looks at how the communications revolution is continuing to pose more questions than answers over a public crisis of confidence, both in democracy and in sources of public information.
Can 2018 be the year when ethical journalism, a human instinct beyond encoding and algorithmic definition, finally gets the recognition it deserves?
In May the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) published guidelines on Media and Trafficking in Human Beingsauthored by the Ethical Journalism Network's Aidan White.
After a screening of 'Another News Story' the Chair of the Ethical Journalism Network, Dorothy Byrne, who is the Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, moderated a discussion with director / producer Orban Wallace, producer Verity Wislocki, and forced migration researcher Ahmad al-Rashid. You can also listen to the event as a podcast.
Watch the EJN's Tom Law talk about how a fake news story triggered a major geo-political crisis in May last year and the effects are still being felt across the Gulf nations on Al Jazeera's Inside Story.