Practical Guides for Journalism Ethics
Core Areas of Practice
Source Protection
How to handle confidential sources, what promises you can actually keep, and when anonymity is justified. Includes documentation methods that protect both you and your sources.
Covers legal considerations and what happens when authorities request your notes or recordings.
Verification Standards
Step-by-step processes for checking facts, especially when time is tight. What counts as sufficient verification for different types of claims.
Specific techniques for social media content, official statements, and data-driven stories.
Conflict Reporting
Balancing safety, access, and accuracy when covering protests, violence, or political conflict. When to use graphic content and how to present it responsibly.
Addresses interviewing traumatized people and reporting in hostile environments.
Corrections Policy
How to handle mistakes once they're published. What requires a correction versus an update, and how to write them clearly without making things worse.
Includes handling pressure from subjects who dispute accurate reporting.
Interview Ethics
Questions about consent, especially with vulnerable subjects. When background conversations become on-the-record, and how to clarify terms upfront.
Covers dealing with PR handlers, editing quotes for clarity, and composite characters.
Financial Independence
Navigating conflicts of interest, accepting hospitality from sources, and maintaining independence while covering beats where relationships matter.
Practical guidance on disclosure and when to recuse yourself from stories.
Reference Materials
Real Scenarios from Working Newsrooms
Breaking News Verification Failure
How a major outlet published incorrect casualty numbers during a breaking event, the decisions made under time pressure, and what their post-mortem revealed about verification processes.
Source Promise Conflict
A reporter promised anonymity to a source, then discovered information suggesting criminal activity. The legal battle that followed and what it means for source agreements.
Photo Manipulation Debate
An award-winning photograph was later found to have minor digital alterations. The discussion about where to draw the line between basic correction and manipulation.
Step-by-Step Decision Frameworks
Should You Grant Anonymity?
A flowchart that walks through the questions to ask before agreeing to protect a source's identity. Includes alternative approaches and documentation requirements.
Publishing Graphic Content
Questions to work through before using disturbing images or video. Considers news value, alternatives, presentation context, and audience warning methods.
Conflict of Interest Assessment
Framework for evaluating personal connections, financial interests, and other factors that might compromise your reporting or create perception issues.
Ready-to-Use Documentation
Source Agreement Form
Standard language for clarifying terms with confidential sources. Covers scope of protection, what can be published, and limitations on anonymity promises.
Correction Notice Format
Templates for different types of corrections with examples of clear, direct language. Includes guidance on placement and how to handle significant errors.
Disclosure Statement Examples
How to write clear disclosures for conflicts of interest, sponsored content, and other situations where transparency is required.
Legal Considerations
Shield Law Overview
Summary of reporter's privilege protections across different jurisdictions. What's actually protected and what isn't, with recent case examples.
Defamation Defense Basics
Plain-language explanation of libel law, what protections you have, and documentation practices that help if you're sued.
Privacy Law Considerations
When you need consent to photograph or record people, what's considered public space, and special rules for minors and medical settings.