Ethical Journalism Newsletter: August 18, 2015

Ethical News And Debates

The readers’ editor on the semantics of migration

Some believe the word migrant has become a derogatory term. (Read more on The Guardian)

Journalists offer tips on enduring — and learning from — storms of Twitter rage

Sooner or later, if they’re doing their jobs right, most journalists write something that makes somebody very, very angry. So what’s to be done? Journalists who retreat from Twitter entirely forego a valuable promotional tool and are less accessible than their wired peers, and they’re not as accountable when they make legitimate errors that can be fixed by dint of public correction. But staying on Twitter can come at the expense of enduring unremitting abuse, some of which is accompanied by the threat of bodily harm. (Read more on Poynter)

The secret to strengthening online security tools

For security tools to work, they must be build with a deep understanding of media ethics and values. (Read more on Columbia Journalism Review)

Polling fundamentals and concepts: An overview for journalists

As the calendar turns toward Election 2016, a thickening storm of pre-election polls has already begun, covering every possible angle of contests that remain more than a year away. Despite all the lavish attention, however, polls are only as valid as their design, execution and analysis. Here are some polling concepts that journalists should understand. (Read more on Journalist’s Resource)

‘I am not a victim’: Tips for reporting on dementia

People living with dementia discuss how the media can better phrase their coverage of the illness. (Read more on journalism.co.uk)

Resources

Video: The EJN 5 Point Test For Hate Speech

How can journalists determine what is hate speech? In this short educational video,The EJN gives five points which media professionals should review before they publish.

Ethics 101 Video: What is Journalism And Who Is A Journalist?

You don’t have to be on the payroll of a newspaper to be a journalist. So who should shield laws protect now that the definition of a journalist is in a grey area? The EJN explains what journalism means in today’s digital age.

Applications

Thomson Foundation Young Journalist from the Developing World FPA Award, 2015

Young journalists working in the developing world are invited to enter a Thomson Foundation competition, which will form part of the 2015 UK Foreign Press Association (FPA) Awards. The winner will be chosen from three finalists who will each be flown to London, spend two nights in the city and attend the gala award night at the Sheraton Park Hotel on 24 November 2015. They will join a host of other potential award winners and leading figures from the world of journalism.

Journalists must meet the following criteria in order to enter the award:

Entrants must be aged 30 or under on 24 November 2015;
They must be working in countries defined as “developing”, specifically with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of less than $20,000 to enter their work;
They must have a portfolio of three published or broadcast pieces of work produced in the 12 months preceding the deadline for submissions.

The deadline for entries is 23.59 GMT Friday, August 28 2015. Apply on the Thomson Foundation website.