The Ethical Journalist's Toolkit

There should be no journalism without ethics, particularly in a digital world, where there is a constant flow of information, much of which is false.

This course looks at:

• How to apply ethical principles to your journalism, whether you are working in social media, in print or on TV/radio.
• How to maintain your independence and impartiality in the face of powerful interests trying to influence your work.
• How to maintain your humanity and the humanity of the people you are reporting about, even when other journalists fail to.
• How to ignore fake news and discover the facts, while maintaining your principles of honesty, objectivity and accountability.

By the end of the course:

• You will have developed your own ‘ethical toolkit’, that will help you make the correct judgement for every story.
• You will feel more confident in maintaining your independence and sticking to your principles when dealing with false information, sensitive material or attempts from vested interests to influence your work.
• You will understand the connection between applying your ethical toolkit and the trust which your audience places in your journalism.
• You will discover that this trust means you can increase your sources of stories, as people - especially those who feel marginalised in society - believe in the accuracy and independence of your reporting.

Participating experts

• Ewen MacAskill - Defence and intelligence correspondent for The Guardian
• Salim Amin - Chairman of Camerapix
• Dorothy Byrne - Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel Four
• Craig Silverman - Media Editor of BuzzFeed News

The course takes around two hours and can be completed over multiple sessions. It is available until April 2018.