18th March 2014
By Stefanie Chernow

Ethical Journalism Weekly Roundup: March 18, 2014

How The Truth Is Made At Russia Today: An inside look at what it’s like to work at the Kremlin-funded media outlet

“They hire young and mold you into the ‘journalist’ they want you to be,” the former employee wrote. “Blinded by ambition, eager to please and quite frankly inexperienced. That or they looked for people who shared RT’s agenda (like Abby Martin).” Martin, who has been involved in the 9/11 Truth movement and whose show frequently delves into other conspiracy theories, was hired after RT noticed her independent coverage of Occupy Oakland in 2011 and was given her own opinion show. (Read the full article on Buzzfeed)

Upholding and updating journalism ethics: Keynote by Steve Buttry

Journalists who wish life were simple like to say that ethical standards should not change over time. They seem to want ethics to be a rock we can cling to in difficult times. Our business is changing and the job market is changing and expectations of journalists and the public are changing. Can’t we at least anchor ourselves to these timeless ethical principles? Well, yes, but no. (Read the full article on The Buttry Diary)

Mark Zuckerberg called Obama about the NSA. Let’s not hang up the phone

Everyone should read the Facebook message by its boss to the NSA’s boss. Including those at Facebook grabbing your data. (Read the full article on The Guardian)

Why the press can’t help but speculate about the missing Malaysia Airlines flight

The insatiable desire for information is partly because the situation is so mysterious. Couple that with the fact that the flow of new, credible details comes in the form of a drip rather than a firehose. Now mix it all together with fears of terrorism and airplane crashes and you have a perfect recipe for rumor and conspiracy theories. This story is about something that has disappeared — and what a terrible mismatch that is for the way the news cycle, social media and the human brain work. (Read the full article on Poynter)

Public Editor: Uproar over an extreme close up

The editors understood this would be a controversial choice to show such a close up. News photos are real photos of real people, not staged or photo-shopped to show people in the best light. (Read the full article on The Globe And Mail)

Emergency Contacts Available for Journalists Covering Crimea

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have joined up with the International Committee of the Red Cross and its affiliates in Ukraine and Russia to issue a series of emergency contacts for journalists covering events in Crimea. (Read the full article on International Federation of Journalists)


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Photo credit: Flickr CC Pyro Rock Monster