As Journalists, What Do We Say to Russell Brand?

The 'Ethics' of Word Choice

Susan's Example

Here it is

Natalie's Example, yeah?

Clear majority favors legal marijuana, new Gallup poll shows

Clear majority......?

Victor's Objectivity Example

The first two paragraphs in this Al Jazeera America article are significantly biased, pointing to one side of the story, and using language that makes the situation to be "obviously true. I've added bolded parts for emphasis, and to note certain parts that break the objectivity of the write of the story. However, just as we've discussed before and tackled the definition of "Objectivity," I really believe that there's instances where this lack of objectivity can be compensated for.

There must be a significant line between "fairness" and "balanced".

"$15 an hour and a union!" is the new rallying cry for low-wage workers across the country. Fast-food employees in seven cities, from New York City to St. Louis, walked off their jobs for four daysin July at chains like McDonald's, KFC and Wendy's. Walmart employees gathered to protest at the retailer's shareholder meeting in June, continuing a campaign of grass-roots activism that started last fall against the company. And just Monday a major strike of Seattle grocery-store workers was narrowly avoided.

The obvious problem low-wage workers face is inadequate pay; that is why their first demand is $15 per hour. But they also want a say in their work, hence the second demand, for a union. This dimension often goes unnoticed in the conversation, but the experience of working low-wage jobs is just as important as what they pay. These workers are fighting not just for higher pay but also for a labor market that brings them an element of dignity.

More can be read here: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/22/low-wager-workerstrikeslaborfastfood.html 

Ben's Example?

Objective?


Here is an excerpt from a cnn.com article about the BART strike ending. There was an opportunity for an interesting quote or an interesting insight about the quote in either direction which would have made the article better in my opinion, but the journalist, Ed Payne, chose not to use the chance. 

Trains are expected to be up and running sometime Tuesday -- but it wasn't immediately clear whether full service will be restored in time for the morning commute. BART warned that morning capacity may be limited.
The two sides had been negotiating a new contract for months, with little headway. Neither side released details of the tentative agreement.
"This has been a long and difficult negotiation," BART General Manager Grace Crunican said. "Our thanks to all of you in the public for your patience through this very difficult process."
The strike, which began Friday morning, was the second in three months.

Was I too subjective?

http://www.pcccourier.com/2012/07/18/job-cuts-furloughs-weighed-by-boardbr/

This is an article I wrote while Managing Editor of the Pasadena City College Newspaper.  For this article I had interviewed the President of the Board of Trustees, but he gave me no quotes or information that I thought would be useful or relevant to the story.  After being published, I received an email from the President of the Board saying he lost faith in my journalistic skills and my abilities as an Editor because I had wasted his time and did not put what he said in the story.  He then informed the rest of the BOT that they were no longer aloud to talk to me or any of my reporters.  Did I screw up by not putting his irrelevant information in the article, or was he just being a dick?

This Is How a Dog Runs A Radio Station...

 "They say that on the internet, no one knows you're a dog. But what about on the radio? Don't let WNYC go to the dogs. Help keep New York Public Radio strong today and everyday and make a pledge." Interesting pledge effort.

NPR Code of Ethics

Do we really need to be kind, or do we need to just focus on informing the public? Truth over all?

http://ethics.npr.org/

Not ethics, but...

Google released a list/aggregate of all its tools for media/journalists. Pretty cool.

Emotion > Ethics

How Much Mercy Should a College Journalist Get When Making Up Stories?

Disgrace among the journalist's fellow students but a pass when googled years from now.

The International Herald Tribune is Dead ... Under that Name

Not just the front pages but access to the inside pages.

Jon Stewart Trashes CNN Again & Again on 'Larry King Live'; Questions Ri...

I hate when news sources use tweets or facebook as a source....

Anybody up for last minute study sesh?

Anybody up for a last minute study sesh before class tomorrow?

I was thinking like 8:30 outside the classroom, shoot me an email if you are interested.

zebzebrowski@yahoo.com

Sometimes I'm Socrates. Sometimes I Tell My Students Exactly What I Think.

LA Times show some brass.

The L.A. Times won't publish climate deniers

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By DYLAN BYERS | 

10/9/13 3:29 PM EDT

From Paul Thornton, the Los Angeles Times letters' editor:

As for letters on climate change, we do get plenty from those who deny global warming. And to say they "deny" it might be an understatement: Many say climate change is a hoax, a scheme by liberals to curtail personal freedom. [...]

[W]hen deciding which letters should run among hundreds on such weighty matters as climate change, I must rely on the experts -- in other words, those scientists with advanced degrees who undertake tedious research and rigorous peer review. ... And those scientists have provided ample evidence that human activity is indeed linked to climate change. Just last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- a body made up of the world's top climate scientists -- said it was 95% certain that we fossil-fuel-burning humans are driving global warming. The debate right now isn't whether this evidence exists (clearly, it does) but what this evidence means for us.

Simply put, I do my best to keep errors of fact off the letters page; when one does run, a correction is published. Saying "there's no sign humans have caused climate change" is not stating an opinion, it's asserting a factual inaccuracy.

The Picture of a Lifetime and the Ethics of Photojournalism

I resist the Great Man Theory of History, but when I think of the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, I wonder.

Anyway, the ethical aspect? The photographer admires the man. He sees him shot down. He takes the picture. He is not the one kneeling beside the man he admires. He does his job, which is not to intervene but to take the picture. Note the very last sentence.

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