by Meagan Doll & Steven Wang, CJE fellows “What is often a winner is a story that the audience largely finds familiar with perhaps a palatable twist in it,” Mascall-Dare said. “What I found is …
Feature articles
Making 2016 the Year of Engaged Media Ethics
Last year was one of challenging questions for media in the airing of graphic video: from Fox News’ decision to air a brutal video of a pilot being burned alive by ISIS to a 60 Minutes …
A Different Lens on Race, Media and Ethics
I never thought I would write this: I was troubled by something, and Donald Trump helped me figure it out. Coming off the recent confrontation between protesters and journalists at the University of Missouri, I …
Activist challenges the newsworthiness of violent police videos
Despite social action spurred by released videos, one activist doesn’t think that footage of violent confrontations between police and citizens is the answer to changing popular culture. Matthew Braunginn, co-founder of the Young Gifted and …
Reporting on health: science journalism needs veracity
It was not the best day for meat lovers. Front-page headlines Oct. 26 by every news outlet that day contained two words: meat and cancer. Scientific evidences show that processed meats, like sausages and bacon, …
The Art of Covering Donald Trump: Ten Strategies for Journalists
He has been called a “sham.” His campaign was initially dismissed as a “charade.” The Huffington Post relegated him to the entertainment page. And while elections experts maintain that he still is not the most …
Covering the Paris Attacks: Global Patriotism or Cultural Proximity?
Reporters need to balance emotional impulses with a healthy dose of skepticism. This cautious approach shouldn’t fall by the wayside just because something terrible has happened. In fact, it’s in the coverage of tragedies like the Paris attacks that we need this balance the most.
Marijuana reviews: Advocating vice?
Dining out at a restaurant, watching a show or buying a book—you can always refer to a review on a local newspaper before making the decision. Now you can do the same thing for getting …
Ethics of robot journalism: How Automated Insights poses issues for data collection and writing
Algorithm journalism is now available for everyone. A beta Wordsmith, a program that creates journalism from data, was made available on the parent company’s website Tuesday morning, the company announced. But, one of the world’s …
Sensationalism or a Call to Action: Covering the Syrian Refugee Crisis
I met a Syrian refugee this June. Sitting across from me in a crowded Beirut café, the young man told me how he’d escaped from Syria and started working as a news fixer in Lebanon—arranging …