ethics – Journo James's Journal

Making Mistakes in Online Journalism Report

Post author:journojames
Post published:April 18, 2012
Post category:Papers/Reports

Originally published on Mar. 4, 2012

On Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011, NPR News broke the story and reported — on air and online — that U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was killed in an attack at a public event near Tucson, Arizona.[1]

Within a half hour of NPR’s report, three cable news networks – CNN, Fox News and MSNBC – replicated the report. The ABC, NBC and CBS news divisions followed, along with other major news sources across the country, from the L.A. Times and Reuters to Talking Points Memo, many crediting NPR as the source.[2]

Gabrielle_Giffords_shooting_scene.wikipedia — Aftermath of Giffords shooting, Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The problem: it was false. NPR mistakenly reported Gifford’s death when, in fact, she was alive and still in surgery. (more…)

Privacy and Digital Door Stepping Issues for Digi-Journos Storify

Post author:journojames
Post published:April 3, 2012
Post category:Journalism Multimedia News

The ethical issues and challenges digital journalists face with the growing use of social media sites that blur the line between public and private information.

Digital Divide Report

Post author:journojames
Post published:January 27, 2012
Post category:Journalism Op/Ed/Commentary Papers/Reports

Originally published Nov. 30, 2010

The Digital Divide and Journalism’s Responsibilities

E-readers, websites, Kindles, and iPads are new electronic tools changing the landscape of journalism. These technological wonders are giving journalists the opportunity to offer news in more ways than ever before. However, many citizens are unable to consume important news and information through these new devices because they are either technologically illiterate or unable to afford the expensive computer hardware. Then, in the current Internet Age, do journalists have a responsibility to continue offering print news to those citizens who fall on the wrong side of this “digital divide”?

Simply put, the digital divide refers to the gap between those who use computers and the Internet and those who do not. It includes the imbalance both in physical access to technology and the resources and skills needed to effectively participate.[1]

(more…)