Ethics and citizen journalism

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"It is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the message and the myths that surround it." - John Pilger

Does citizen journalism have its own ethics?

http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2011/03/07/culture-clash-journalisms-ideology-vs-blogculture/

Objectivity or transparency?

Objectivity is about a method of seeking to tell a story through facts - it is not about faking impartiality through a "he said, she said" "view from nowhere".

Accountability and privacy

When does public interest override expectations of privacy? Do you declare conflicts of interest? Do comment threads provide a space to hold writers to account? Should commenters be held to account too?

"Media ethicist Edmund Lambeth ... discourages the practice of deception unless there is a compelling public service need - and no other viable way to serve it. The vast majority of conversations among ordinary online users will fail to meet such a test" - Jane Singer, Online Journalism Ethics

Taste and decency

You have found a video that includes graphic footage of torture by kidnappers. Do you report, link to, or embed it - and why? And if so, what responsibility do you have to warn of its contents?

Protecting sources

If users are contributing to a map or commenting anonymously, do we have a responsibility to make them aware of how they might be tracked? Should we make risks clear?

Private conversations in public

Lurking on Facebook, you read a newsworthy conversation between 2 'friends'. Do you publish it? Why?

Public vs private

A conversation in a restaurant is 'public', but it is considered unethical to lurk and publish what you hear there unless the public interest overrides considerations of privacy

Key points

Public content can still be private Be transparent about your methods and your sources - the facts should stand alone Understand the risks that sources take and try to reduce them

Links

Delicious.com/paulb/ethics Delicious.com/paulb/objectivity Delicious.com/paulb/transparency Delicious.com/paulb/privacy

 Check Desk Project

ArabCitizenMedia.O rg

This presentation belongs to a set of guiding materials to help citizen journalists improving the quality of their media production