Hey, remember the Bookstore? Getting married slowed me down, but I’m back to work on my latest guide, Navigating Ethics and Bias. I think this is my most important guide yet. From “ethics and bias for the human journalist” to my own personal ethical run-ins, it touches on a lot of things journalists don’t always talk about, but should.
Here’s a preview of the section titled, “A definition of ethics in fandom journalism.”
Scenario A: It’s always been your dream to visit Rockstar Games and report on it. So when the company invites you in your capacity as a journalist to tour the studio and conduct interviews, you’re over the moon! Everything is going great but at the end, your guide offers you their latest video game as a parting gift. It’s a review copy that isn’t even out in stores yet! Do you take it?
Scenario B: You received a press pass to attend and cover Dragon*Con. Your readers are all big fans of the convention and you want to write something about it they’ll enjoy. But during your research, you discover one of the founders has been charged with multiple counts of child molestation. Do you leave it out, or risk alienating your readers by writing about it?
Scenario C: An anonymous source reaches out to you with a tell-all about their time working for a comic book studio. Apparently she faced corruption, sexism, racism, everything. The source gives you proof and their story does seem to check out, but said, “If you publish this proof or my personal information, I’ll deny everything I told you.” Do you publish the proof or not?
Do you take gifts or other compensation from reporting subjects? Do you burn your readers, or burn your sources? None of these scenarios have clear-cut answers, and neither do most of the situations you’ll run into in your time practicing journalism.
When we talk about journalism ethics, what we’re really talking about is a series of guidelines we can try to apply to different real life cases. When you’re faced with a tough decision, it’s best to adhere more closely to the guidelines.
Here’s a summed-up version of the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics:
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Seek the truth and report it. Make sure you have sources and facts to back up your story. Don’t sensationalize or minimize impact. Never plagiarize.
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Minimize harm. Be sensitive when interviewing people affected by tragedy. Remember citizens are innocent until proven guilty. Avoid identifying sex crime victims.
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Act independently. Avoid conflicts of interest. Refuse gifts if they compromise your journalistic integrity. Never buy a story from a source.
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Be accountable. Admit your mistakes and correct them. Encourage readers to discuss your coverage. Expose other media outlets acting unethically.
You can already see where these fit in:
In Scenario A, you should only accept the game review copy if you intend to review it and write about it for a publication. You shouldn’t take it as a favor or an incentive to write a positive story.
In Scenario B, you shouldn’t minimize the fact that Dragon*Con was founded by a charged molester, a truth that has led to boycotts, even if your audience balks. Sometimes having a duty to your audience means telling them the truth even when they don’t want to hear it.
In Scenario C, you should think about whether exposing your source could put her in danger. If not, could she have another, less savory motive for wanting to remain anonymous? You have an obligation to tell your readers the truth, but not by trampling over your sources’ privacy.
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