Ethics and Standards

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Understanding the ethics and standards of social media journalism while reporting, fact-checking, and dealing with privacy issues.

Journalism Ethics: Journalism ethics are the ethical principles and guidelines followed by journalists while reporting, writing, and presenting news. It includes principles like accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness, and accountability.
Social Media Ethics: Social media ethics are a set of guidelines that dictate how journalists should behave when using social media platforms. These guidelines address issues like privacy, confidentiality, honesty, and transparency.
Media Law: Media law is the branch of law that governs the media industry. It includes topics like freedom of speech, defamation, invasion of privacy, and copyright law.
Creative Commons Licensing: Creative Commons licensing is a type of license that allows content creators to share their work legally and openly so that other people can use, remix, or modify it.
Privacy: Privacy is a fundamental right that individuals have to protect their personal information from being misused or disclosed. It includes issues like data privacy, social media privacy settings, and consent.
Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying refers to the use of digital technology to bully or harass someone. It includes issues like online hate speech, revenge porn, and cyberstalking.
Net Neutrality: Net neutrality is the principle that all internet traffic should be treated equally by internet service providers without any discrimination. It includes issues like internet censorship, internet speed throttling, and control over internet access.
Hate Speech: Hate speech is any speech or conduct that targets individuals or groups based on their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or any other characteristic.
Social Media Algorithms: Social media algorithms are the complex mathematical formulas that social media platforms use to determine what content to show to users. It includes issues like the role of social media algorithms in shaping public opinion, and the impact of algorithmic bias on journalism.
Media Bias: Media bias refers to the perceived ideological or political slant of news coverage by journalists or media outlets. It includes issues like the role of media organizations in shaping public opinion, and the impact of media bias on democracy.
Accuracy: Journalists must ensure that the information they publish is true and verified.
Fairness: Journalists must report without bias and with fairness towards all subjects in their stories.
Privacy: Journalists must respect the privacy of individuals and not publish any confidential or sensitive information without explicit consent.
Trustworthiness: Journalists must maintain their credibility by publishing accurate and reliable information.
Transparency: Journalists must disclose any conflicts of interest, funding sources, or personal affiliations that may influence their reporting.
Editorial independence: Journalists should be independent of any external pressures such as advertisers or political or financial interests.
Impartiality: Journalists should avoid taking sides and present all sides of a story.
Responsible reporting: Journalists should ensure that their reporting does not lead to harm or discrimination, and should be responsible for any consequences of their reporting.
Respect: Journalists should respect the dignity of all individuals, regardless of their race, religion, gender or any other factor.
Accountability: Journalists should be accountable for their actions, and should be open to corrections and feedback from their readers and the public.
"The basic codes and canons commonly appear in statements by professional journalism associations and individual print, broadcast, and online news organizations."
"There are around 400 codes covering journalistic work around the world."
"The principles of truthfulness, accuracy and fact-based communications, independence, objectivity, impartiality, fairness, respect for others and public accountability."
"Like many broader ethical systems, the ethics of journalism include the principle of 'limitation of harm'."
"The withholding of certain details from reports, such as the names of minor children, crime victims' names, or information not materially related to the news report where the release of such information might, for example, harm someone's reputation or put them at undue risk."
"There has also been discussion and debate within the journalism community regarding appropriate reporting of suicide and mental health, particularly with regard to verbiage."
"Some journalistic codes of ethics, notably some European codes, also include a concern with discriminatory references in news based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities."
"The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe approved (in 1993) Resolution 1003 on the Ethics of Journalism."
"The principles of truthfulness, accuracy and fact-based communications, independence, objectivity, impartiality, fairness, respect for others, and public accountability."
"These apply to the gathering, editing and dissemination of newsworthy information to the public."
"The principles of truthfulness, accuracy and fact-based communications."
"The principles of... independence, objectivity, impartiality, fairness..."
"The principles of... respect for others and public accountability."
"This may involve enhanced respect for vulnerable groups and the withholding of certain details from reports."
"Like many broader ethical systems, the ethics of journalism include the principle of 'limitation of harm'."
"Some journalistic codes of ethics... include a concern with discriminatory references in news based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities."
"The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe approved (in 1993) Resolution 1003 on the Ethics of Journalism, which recommends that journalists respect the presumption of innocence, in particular in cases that are still sub judice."
"...where the release of such information might, for example, harm someone's reputation or put them at undue risk."
"There has also been discussion and debate within the journalism community regarding appropriate reporting of suicide and mental health, particularly with regard to verbiage."
"Professional journalism associations and individual print, broadcast, and online news organizations."