[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Five years ago when I began researching the ethical implications of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in journalism, a trusted mentor told me it might not be the best choice for a research agenda. After all, …
Feature articles
Engagement and Serving the Republic
In a time of Trump, how should journalists serve the public? Should they join the protests? Become a partisan, opposition press? Or stick to neutrally reporting the facts? In this three-part series, media ethicist Stephen …
Three duties in a time of Trump
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In the turmoil of a Trump election victory, and the dawn of a robust right-wing American government, it is time to do journalism ethics with utmost seriousness. Journalism ethics is not a set of formal …
Q & A with Chris Wells: Trump as a Media Mastermind
Chris Wells is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His latest work, published in Political Communication, examines the many strategies Donald Trump used to generate news coverage. …
Don’t look to flash polls to determine a debate winner
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”8368″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/billy3001/29700252374/in/photolist-MfvyhN-NdaZc2-N5Bhiv-N5BgHx-Mfvr3h-N5Bg22-MKYTC9-Mfvqt1-M883Yd-M7BMVz-M75nDw-MWdepD-M75nbh-M79qFz-MWdcbF-LRHWnU-MmFkB7-MAXv2e-MJk1Jv-MAXri2-MAXaAR-Myh5wJ-LLXeT8-LLXcc6-MfHZGs-LKdPaS-LJnvFR-MvGtX1-LHi7xG-MtfZew-LFCdDd-MCTsme-Mzo2tq-KsRYdg-KWZJvv-Ksfjyf-KTnGpa-KTnFfg-KTnDWV-JWNgLb-KsfeJf-KJ556J-JWNb87-Ksf7JJ-Ksf4wG-JX2jhB-KTnnwF-KQzd7U-JWN4jN-KQza8Y”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hours after the first presidential debate of 2016 concluded, Republican nominee Donald Trump took to Twitter to proclaim his victory. “Thank You! Four new #DebateNight Polls with the …
On Haiti and the ethics of disaster
Why you should stop encouraging news consumers to blindly donate to Haiti relief Last week I messaged a source of mine in Haiti near Port-au-Prince to ask how he’s weathering the storm that hurricane Matthew has …
Less mainstream media privilege benefits race justice in crime reporting
The way people sound when they speak, chatter, and laugh may lead to discrimination, police investigation. Jennifer Stoever, a media and literature scholar at Binghamton University, called this phenomenon “sonic color-line” in a recent book. …
Conversations on representation can benefit, learn from self-representation
Patty Loew, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, said discussion about how journalism can better represent communities of color often leaves out those who are already using media forms to self-represent. “Mainstream media doesn’t always stop to …
Anna Therese Day and the jailed journalists whose stories we never hear
The UW-Madison community is still recovering from the shock of UW alum Anna Therese Day’s recent arrest in Bahrain. Day and her crew were in Bahrain over the weekend, covering the anniversary of the Gulf …
Engaged journalists need to confront ethical questions
I’ll go ahead and admit it: In early December, as I finished drafting this “Redefining Engagement” series, I began wondering if I’d missed something big along the way. “I’m still uneasy about some of the …