6th January 2015
By Stefanie Chernow

Ethical Journalism Newsletter: January 6, 2015

Ethical Journalism News

[Video] Al-Jazeera Chief Calls For Release Of Peter Greste And Colleagues

The network’s managing director says Egyptian courts have taken a step in the right direction by ordering a retrial of the three jailed al-Jazeera journalists. A retrial was ordered by Egypt’s highest court on Thursday, citing procedural flaws in the original trial. (via The Guardian)

Don’t Generalize And Admit What You Don’t Know: Lessons From Reporting On Transgender

Many media decisions flagged as problematic – not using a source’s preferred pronouns, before and after pictures, a focus on physical changes that some trans people choose to pursue – are criticized because they reinforce a constant misconception about being transgender. (via Poynter)

Amal Clooney Backs Off Claim Of Egypt’s Threat Of Her Arrest

Were false allegations of government intimidation made by Clooney or falsely attributed to Clooney by the Guardian? (via iMediaEthics)

Ex-Soviet Countries On Front Line Of Russia’s Media War With The West

The Kremlin’s big plans for the global expansion of state media has been greeted with suspicion, especially in the countries of the former USSR. (via The Guardian)

The Essential Reader

How do we handle the suggestions from the readers? What is the mechanism that is in place to go through multiple queries, ideas and notions of journalism that come from readers? Why are some suggestions accepted and some rejected? (via The Hindu)

AnonyWatch: Department of Ridiculous Reasons

One thing is certain: Anonymity continues to be granted to sources far more often than a last-resort basis would suggest. (via The New York Times)

Online Moderation

I am not much given to quoting Nietzsche but his words came to mind recently after a spate of complaints from readers about their apparent exclusion from discussion threads on our website: “Those who cannot understand how to put their thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of debate.” (via The Observer)