Digital Journalism Ethics

Digital JournalismEthics

Steve ButtryLas Cruces Sun-News

November 2013#DigitalEthics

SPJ Code of Ethics*• Seek truth & report it• Minimize harm• Act independently• Be accountable

* Committee considering an update

Poynter Guiding Principles*• Truthfulness• Transparency• Community

*Updated this year

Ethical issues• Accuracy &

verification• Verifying images• Opinions• Personal vs. pro

social media use

• Corrections• Attribution• Transparency• Crowdsourcing• Social media photos• Confidential sources

Context helps verify• Check profile (name, bio, link)• Check timeline (what do earlier

tweets/updates tell you?)• Check followers & timelines (replies, RTs)• Expand tweets to see conversation• Follow; DM or tweet asking for interview• Make screen grabs (they might delete)

Vetting & verifying• Track back RTs, etc.

to source • Look for clusters • Location enabled? • Evaluate the network• Evaluate the history

• Links, photos? • Take it old school• Disclose, hedge,

repeat • Be brave only in

correction

Tips from Craig Silverman, Regret the Error

Evaluating tweeps• How long have they been tweeting?• Check previous tweets, interaction• Check bio, links• Check Klout score• Google name and scam, spammer• Contact & interview

Tips from Mandy Jenkins, Zombie Journalism

Verification• Treat social media as tip service• Consider situation, content, contextAlways ask:• How do you know that?• How do they know that?

If your mother says she loves you …

• Check her Twitter timeline, bio, links• Check her Facebook posts• Check followers & friends• Google her



social media use


Verifying imagesPlaces to verify images:http://www.google.com/imageshttp://tineye.comhttp://karmadecay.com/ http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102787/The-Process-of-Verification.aspx

http://www.google.com/images

http://www.google.com/images

http://tineye.com/

http://karmadecay.com/

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102787/The-Process-of-Verification.aspx





social media use


Guidelines on opinions• Situation guides whether opinions are

appropriate• Discuss w/ editor whether opinions are

appropriate for your position• Consult if pushing boundaries• You can be personable without

expressing opinions

Opinion types• Analysis• Personal perspective• Commentary• Advocacy• Off your beat (news reporter stating

sports or entertainment opinions)• Journalism issues

Opinion formats• Editorial• Column• Blog (doesn’t have to be opinion)• Social media• Comments on stories• Public appearances (radio, civic clubs)



social media use


Personal vs. pro• Always identify on personal accounts (or

disclose to boss)• Even if account is private, behave

professionally• Be personable on pro account



social media use


Corrections• Acknowledge the error & say what it was• Verify before correcting• Correct in platforms where you erred• For serious errors, reach out to those

who have RT’d, shared, linked• Examine processes to prevent future

errors.



social media use


Plagiarism …… is a firing offense. Don’t:• Lift passages from other sources without

attribution & link


attribution & link• Lift quotes from other media w/o

attribution (to media, not just speaker)



attribution (to media, not just speaker)• Lift from press release without

attribution (& link if it’s online)



attribution (to media, not just speaker)• Lift from press release without

attribution (& link if it’s online)• Rewrite w/o attribution & link

Links = good business• Better SEO for better search traffic• Pingbacks, alerts from links bring direct

traffic• Pingbacks, alerts from links may bring

new inbound links & social mentions• Links = traffic = revenue = journo jobs

Links = good journalism• Context• Depth• Attribution• Credibility• Clarity• Honesty• Transparency

Attribution in social media• Native “share” or “retweet” carries

attribution• RT or MT (modified tweet) if adding

comment• HT or h/t for “heard through” or “hat tip”• Not necessary to repeat attribution

endlessly in livetweeting

Embeds > links• Embeds are the ultimate attribution• Embed tweets, videos, slides, source

documents• Facebook & Instagram recently added

embed codes• Embedding tools: Storify, Spundge,

Scribd, Document Cloud, SlideShare

No attribution needed:• What you witnessed personally• Common knowledge• Calendar (unless quoting); source is

implied• If you re-report, acknowledge that you

weren’t first, but don’t need heavy attribution to other media

Cut & pasteCutting & pasting from digital sources can ensure quoting accurately. But:• Attribute & link before pasting• Paste into quotation marks or block

quote • Color code in notes to identify sources• Sloppiness is guilty plea, not excuse

Linking as BS detectionJournalists covering Manti Te’o’s story of girlfriend would have exposed the hoax by seeking links to:• Obituary• Story or police report about accident• Girlfriend’s activities at Stanford(She did have bogus social media profiles.)

Effective attribution• Write stories with links: Digital First• Attribute to other media by name,

including competition, not “media reports” or “a blogger”

• Active voice, not “was reported”• Attribute to press releases• Embed tweets, videos



social media use


Transparency• Social media profiles used professionally

should ID you by name & newsroom• Identify in email & social messages• State when inquiries are for publication• Show your work, using links & embeds• State when working on a story• What should you disclose?



social media use




social media use


Using social media photos• Ask for permission to use photo (person

posting might not have rights)• Embeds carry permission• Screen grab of FB page is better than just

copying (context, transformative)• Verify authenticity• Explain context



social media use


Confidentiality issues• Don’t call source anonymous if you know

identity • Why does source want confidentiality

(whistleblower, unsure of facts, avoiding confidentiality)?

• If unsure of facts, say you wouldn’t use as source, just for tips

Confidentiality issues• Be demanding of sources approaching

you who want confidentiality• Don’t give confidentiality to the powerful

& eager • No opinions w/o names• Ask source for documentation• Tell source you’ll seek other sources

Technology issues• Government surveillance of you or

source could compromise confidentiality• Definitely an issue in national security

cases, but possibly local & state, too• Use encryption• Consider “burner cells”• Meet face to face

Ethics resources• Guiding Principles for the Journalist• Telling the Truth and Nothing But ebook• Verification Handbook (due out in Jan.)• SPJ Code of Ethics (last updated 1996)• Regret the Error blog & book• New Ethics of Journalism book• stevebuttry.wordpress.com

Call me any timeEthics questions are important & urgent. I’ll respond quickly if you tell me you’re dealing with an ethics question. Call me at 267-697-9275; if that doesn’t work, email me: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Digital Journalism Ethics

Technology

pro social

link lift

lift passages

firing offense

press release

attribution

media

amp