LAW, ETHICS & NEWS LITERACY
One of the most important things I’ve learned as a journalist is integrity and morality. When I’m faced with an ethical issue, oftentimes there isn’t a clear binary path to follow. In these moments, I need to think about minimizing harm and prioritizing safety, both of those around me and of myself. Below, I’ve highlighted some of my most pressing ethical situations, both regarding source anonymity, a common situation that journalists face. To help me make my decisions, I discuss my questions with my fellow editors and consult the NSPA Code of Etthics Handbook.
Source Anonymity
Stanford Daily: Abolishing Stanford police system protest
When a source asks for anonymity, it usually undergoes a heavy and long discussion between the editors and the reporters on the reasoning. As a reporter for a college newspaper, I learned from my editors that anonymity isn’t something that a reporter can or should be easily persuaded to give. Rather, there should be a serious understanding of the reasoning behind the request, and whether the grant of anonymity would truly make a difference.
Harker Aquila: Jan. 6 Insurrection Community Reactions
In a talk around campus video featuring student and faculty responses, I interviewed a teacher who later requested to remove their quotes from the video due to fear of feeling unsafe. As a section editor at the time, I learned a lot from my editors-in-chief and my adviser on how to minimize harm and why it was ethical to grant anonymity in this situation.
Screenshot of email of teacher asking to be removed from a video
News Literacy
Correcting article errors: As editor-in-chief, I check off as the last step in evaluating the quality of our content and design. Whenever we make an error, therefore, we are active and dedicated to taking responsibility for correcting that error. This is especially important because as journalists, our role is in disseminating the truth and accurate information. For example, in an article covering our DECA organization’s kick-off event this past fall, we misnamed an alumni’s past position. Instead of just updating the article with the correct position, we add a note at the bottom of the article stating our previous version, the error and the updated version to show each step of the correction. In this way, our news program can stay transparent in our process and demonstrate integrity as journalists.
