Just one week ago, newsrooms mobilized to cover yet another mass shooting, this time in a municipal building in Virginia Beach. As they told the story of the 12 murders, the vast majority of newspapers and TV stations covering the tragedy embraced the practice of not using the shooter’s name unless it was absolutely necessary. For an industry that is often criticized for being slow to change, this development is remarkable. It demonstrates that newsrooms can alter their standards and practices in a fairly dramatic way over a relatively short period of time when presented with convincing...…Just one week ago, newsrooms mobilized to cover yet another mass shooting, this time in a municipal building in Virginia Beach. As they told the story of the 12 murders, the vast majority of newspapers and TV stations covering the tragedy embraced the practice of not using the shooter’s name unless it was absolutely necessary. For an industry that is often criticized for being slow to change, this development is remarkable. It demonstrates that newsrooms can alter their standards and practices in a fairly dramatic way over a relatively short period of time when presented with convincing...WW…

AG Bill Barr Should Have Been Challenged On Air : NPR Public Editor Host Steve Inskeep and his team missed several opportunities to hold a powerful official accountable for misleading the public. Instead, they helped him perpetuate a myth.NPR's four-member " is responsible for covering all things about American voting, from , to to and in the process. It is one of the foundations of NPR's politics coverage. Amid its admirable work on election security was a recent high-profile misstep, and the audience took note. An estimated 1.4 million people listening to Morning Edition on Friday, June...…AG Bill Barr Should Have Been Challenged On Air : NPR Public Editor Host Steve Inskeep and his team missed several opportunities to hold a powerful official accountable for misleading the public. Instead, they helped him perpetuate a myth.NPR's four-member " is responsible for covering all things about American voting, from , to to and in the process. It is one of the foundations of NPR's politics coverage. Amid its admirable work on election security was a recent high-profile misstep, and the audience took note. An estimated 1.4 million people listening to Morning Edition on Friday, June...WW…

Naming The Gunman Glorifies His Crimes, Not Naming Him Could Undermine The Truth : NPR Public Editor Not glorifying a shooter isn't enough to ensure good journalismWithin the last three years, many American newsrooms, including NPR's, have both the frequency and prominence with which they name suspects in mass shootings. But the editorial judgments have been somewhat inconsistent — case-by-case decisions on balancing the obligations to report the news with growing audience demands to be sensitive to families and not glorify the assailants. Now it's time to take the next step. Newsrooms,...…Naming The Gunman Glorifies His Crimes, Not Naming Him Could Undermine The Truth : NPR Public Editor Not glorifying a shooter isn't enough to ensure good journalismWithin the last three years, many American newsrooms, including NPR's, have both the frequency and prominence with which they name suspects in mass shootings. But the editorial judgments have been somewhat inconsistent — case-by-case decisions on balancing the obligations to report the news with growing audience demands to be sensitive to families and not glorify the assailants. Now it's time to take the next step. Newsrooms,...WW…

The increasing acts of violence against journalists are causing many newsrooms to rethink some ethical best practices. These evolving standards go beyond the recommendations for . Here’s a run-down of ways to balance the need to document the first draft of history with the need to keep journalists safe.Support high-integrity, independent journalism that serves democracy. Make a gift to Poynter today. The Poynter Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, and your gift helps us make good journalism better.Tags:A sense of national unity seems like an impossible dream in 2022.Plus, a...…The increasing acts of violence against journalists are causing many newsrooms to rethink some ethical best practices. These evolving standards go beyond the recommendations for . Here’s a run-down of ways to balance the need to document the first draft of history with the need to keep journalists safe.Support high-integrity, independent journalism that serves democracy. Make a gift to Poynter today. The Poynter Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, and your gift helps us make good journalism better.Tags:A sense of national unity seems like an impossible dream in 2022.Plus, a...WW…

Trump's Georgia Call Is A Window Into NPR's Strategy Around Local Journalism : NPR Public Editor A public radio initiative to bolster local reporting paid off in dividendsOn the first Sunday of 2021, journalists in two competing Washington newsrooms were listening to a leaked recording of President Donald Trump demanding that Georgia officials find him more votes and change the outcome of their election last November. The Washington Post published the first reports detailing the hour-long phone call of Trump cajoling and even threatening the Georgia secretary of state. But right after that,...…Trump's Georgia Call Is A Window Into NPR's Strategy Around Local Journalism : NPR Public Editor A public radio initiative to bolster local reporting paid off in dividendsOn the first Sunday of 2021, journalists in two competing Washington newsrooms were listening to a leaked recording of President Donald Trump demanding that Georgia officials find him more votes and change the outcome of their election last November. The Washington Post published the first reports detailing the hour-long phone call of Trump cajoling and even threatening the Georgia secretary of state. But right after that,...WW…

What if your boss told you that you weren’t allowed to vote? If you’re a journalist, it’s not unheard of for your manager to rule out this basic civic right. A core journalistic value is objectivity, and voting in a primary that involves publicly declaring yourself a D or an R compromises the public perception of a journalist’s neutrality. Every four years the journalism profession has this argument. As primary season barrels toward us, these disagreements are heating up among journalists who advocate for participating, even if there is a public record of affiliation, and those who believe...…What if your boss told you that you weren’t allowed to vote? If you’re a journalist, it’s not unheard of for your manager to rule out this basic civic right. A core journalistic value is objectivity, and voting in a primary that involves publicly declaring yourself a D or an R compromises the public perception of a journalist’s neutrality. Every four years the journalism profession has this argument. As primary season barrels toward us, these disagreements are heating up among journalists who advocate for participating, even if there is a public record of affiliation, and those who believe...WW…

Local newsrooms are so pressed for cash that historic taboos on asking for government assistance seem to have melted away. As the applications for federal coronavirus relief loans open, many newsroom leaders and industry lobbyists have suggested they’ll seek a piece of the action, and possibly seek permanent help down the line. Hard times or no, this would be an unprecedented step into new ethics territory for most of American journalism. Poynter’s business analyst Rick Edmonds and Kelly McBride, the chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, discuss the pros and cons....…Local newsrooms are so pressed for cash that historic taboos on asking for government assistance seem to have melted away. As the applications for federal coronavirus relief loans open, many newsroom leaders and industry lobbyists have suggested they’ll seek a piece of the action, and possibly seek permanent help down the line. Hard times or no, this would be an unprecedented step into new ethics territory for most of American journalism. Poynter’s business analyst Rick Edmonds and Kelly McBride, the chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, discuss the pros and cons....WW…

There’s been a recent flurry of papers and columns on objectivity. I’ve read them all. While there is clearly a generational shift underway in the standards of American journalism, is there really a debate? Marty Baron, former Washington Post editor, started off this outpouring of philosophical waxing with a straightforward 3,200-word defense of journalism’s traditional ideal of objectivity. Wesley Lowery, a former Post reporter who went toe to toe with Baron during his time at the paper, responded with a 4,200-word critique of the ham-handed way newsrooms have practiced objectivity. ...…There’s been a recent flurry of papers and columns on objectivity. I’ve read them all. While there is clearly a generational shift underway in the standards of American journalism, is there really a debate? Marty Baron, former Washington Post editor, started off this outpouring of philosophical waxing with a straightforward 3,200-word defense of journalism’s traditional ideal of objectivity. Wesley Lowery, a former Post reporter who went toe to toe with Baron during his time at the paper, responded with a 4,200-word critique of the ham-handed way newsrooms have practiced objectivity. ...WW…

For two years now many news sites have turned to digital subscriptions as a financial lifeline. With a global pandemic upon us, editors and publishers have been asking if now is the time to reverse course and make their news free again, at least temporarily? Poynter’s business analyst Rick Edmonds discussed this dilemma with Kelly McBride, the chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership. Edmonds: Two reporters have called me last week for comment about papers (the Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe) that have kept their paywall up for much of their coronavirus coverage....…For two years now many news sites have turned to digital subscriptions as a financial lifeline. With a global pandemic upon us, editors and publishers have been asking if now is the time to reverse course and make their news free again, at least temporarily? Poynter’s business analyst Rick Edmonds discussed this dilemma with Kelly McBride, the chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership. Edmonds: Two reporters have called me last week for comment about papers (the Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe) that have kept their paywall up for much of their coronavirus coverage....WW…