Although the Olympics are supposed to be all about international sportsmanship, for many journalists, the games often become a critique of the host country’s politics. During Beijing’s 2008 games, journalists wrote about China’s human rights …
Publishing classified information leads to search of reporter’s private email account
U.S. authorities used an affidavit as legal means to search a journalist’s private emails after he published classified national defense information. The U.S. state department official who gave the information to the journalist will likely …
In Chicago, journalists bring closure to a ten year old murder case in shadow of political influence
Political influence is no stranger to Chicago. The city exemplified machine-style politics for decades, and its difficult to argue Illinois hasn’t seen a poor leader or two in state government. Yet the 2004 murder of …
Do data robots need their own set of ethics?
Google recently acquired DeepMind for $400 million and will incorporate the London-based artificial intelligence startup’s team and software into Google’s search team, now known as the “Knowledge” group. This is an especially vital development for …
Gargantuan heels and face planets: Portraying women of power in media
At first glance, this month’s TIME cover featuring a woman’s leg in a pantsuit may appear like a just another generic cover photo. However, a more careful look at the royal blue, pantsuit-clad back leg …
Nominations for the 2014 Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics now open
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics seeks applications for the first national Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Shadid died in 2012 while crossing the Syrian …
Learning from Grantland’s Dr. V story: When reporting for a niche loses context in the grips of a network effect
Much has already been written about the ethical questions raised in the wake of Grantland’s January 15th story by Caleb Hannan entitled Dr. V’s Magical Putter. The article itself has been updated to include a letter …
Testing school security, KSDK-TV reporter triggers lockdown
It may be a case of the end justifying the means. If so, which end matters more: Exposure of a significant security flaw at a local high school, or the stress and expense brought on …
Sorry, but making a few edits to a copyrighted photograph doesn’t give you the right to claim the image as your own.
Editing and filtering images has never been easier. Even those that find Photoshop too much of a challenge can dabble with image editing using simple tools built into apps like iPhoto and Instagram. But …
Interactive storytelling reflects both new opportunities and new challenges for 21st century journalism
As is often the case each year in the last days of December, many retrospectives and lists are being published this week. We are treated to summaries, galleries, lists, and “the year in” stories. Yesterday …