UW Center for Journalism Ethics
We encourage the highest standards in journalism by fostering vigorous debate, providing resources to journalists
and news consumers, and honoring the best in ethical journalistic practice.
News
Reporting uncertainty: Business journalism in a Trump-era economy
News articles and analysis about the economy can help clarify, but the current economic unpredictability prompts some ethical questions for journalists: What happens when journalists don’t have answers about the economy? How can journalists say “I don’t know” in a way that doesn’t frustrate readers? How can journalists toe the line between making logical statements about the economy and making predictions that may not turn out to be true?
“Words have power”: Author and editor Karen Yin discusses importance of inclusive language in new book “The Conscious Style Guide”
In 2024, Karen Yin, editor, author and creator of the website ConsciousStyleGuide.com, wrote “The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers” to help writers place inclusive language at the heart of their communication. It’s work that Yin believes is “more important than ever.”
Building trust and finding solutions: A Q&A with mental health reporter Hannah Furfaro
Hannah Furfaro's work elevates the voices at the center of public health issues through thoughtful, ethical reporting. She was awarded the 2025 Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics for her project, “High Risk: Youth and addiction in Washington state,” where she brought to light the barriers preventing young people from accessing treatment for opioid addiction in Washington.
“The Recombobulation Area” and the ethics of independent journalism
Dan Shafer’s Substack, The Recombobulation Area, began more or less as a pet project. “This thing I was doing while my daughter was napping” in Shafer’s words. But in just five years, it amassed thousands of free and paid subscribers and over a dozen Milwaukee Press Club awards.