3rd February 2015
By Stefanie Chernow

Ethical Journalism Newsletter: February 3, 2015

Ethical Journalism News And Debates

Sensitivity In Times Of High Tension

The role of a responsible media organisation is to go beyond the reductionist narrative of ‘you are either with us or against us.’ It tries to retain the space for grey in an information ecology that is fast turning black and white. The choices of news organisations to publish or reject images are not based on solidarity. They are determined by their own code of ethics and governed by three broad principles of journalism: truth, independence and the need to minimise harm. (via The Hindu)

Why Western Media Overlooked A Massacre In Nigeria

When gunmen murdered 17 people in Paris earlier this month, it seized the world’s attention. When Boko Haram militants killed hundreds in and around the Nigerian town of Baga the same week, the mass killing scarcely garnered a mention in the Western media. (via Columbia Journalism Review)

How Charlie Hebdo Played Out Internationally

Charlie Hebdo and subsequent attacks, which left 20 dead including three gunmen, reverberated far beyond Paris. (via Religion News Service)

BuzzFeed’s New Editorial Standards Tout Traditional News Values

Spanning traditional topics like conflict of interest and newer media guidelines like selfie-snapping, BuzzFeed’s ethical standards look like those upheld by many journalism organizations, with a few twists. (via Poynter)

Correcting the Wall Street Journal on Climate (Again)

After the release of Lomborg’s “deeply flawed” book The Skeptical Environmentalist, the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science remarked that Lomborg’s work was a testament to the “vulnerability of the scientific process … to outright misrepresentation and distortion.” One researcher decided to fact-check Lomborg’s claims and had so much material that Yale published it as a book: The Lomborg Deception. (via The Huffington Post)

Applications

Mirror Awards

Now in their ninth year, the Mirror Awards recognize the best reporting, analysis and commentary covering the media industry and its role in our economy, culture and democracy. Established by Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2006, the awards honor the reporters, producers, editors and teams of writers who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit. Deadline February 15. Click here to apply.