Poynter. » Everyday Ethics

How journalists can provide fair coverage when reporting on rape charge in Cleveland case

Kelly McBride — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:34:12 +0000

Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus are household names. The three women, freed from a house in Cleveland after they were separately kidnapped as teenagers about a decade ago, are the central characters in a story that has dominated … Read more

Most everyone gets asked to write for free, only some people say yes

Kelly McBride — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:09:09 +0000

The debate over how much professional writers should be paid — sparked by Atlantic’s request to publish Nathan Thayer’s work without paying him — is a window into how dramatically the Internet has changed the system of creating and distributing … Read more

It’ll take a village to redeem Jonah Lehrer, not just repentance

Kelly McBride — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:05:19 +0000

Jonah Lehrer played to his strengths Tuesday when he lectured and apologized at a Knight Foundation lunch. But in his extended examination of conscience, he lost sight of his own flaws and missed his opportunity to really explain and … Read more

The short shelf life of today’s heroes, in sports and in journalism

Gregory Favre — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:04:59 +0000

Michael Wilbon was on ESPN radio discussing Lance Armstrong and Manti Te’o when he posed this rhetorical question: “What is the shelf life of a hero today?”

An excellent question: What is the shelf life of heroes in a world … Read more

Sports journalism faces moment of truth in week of Lance Armstrong, Manti Te’o hoax

David Griner — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:41:48 +0000

Almost exactly a year ago, “This American Life” did what it did best: ran a story that tugged at the heartstrings and enraptured its audience. The piece, “Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory,” so perfectly suited TAL’s storytelling style, none … Read more

Gene Patterson’s final thoughts on journalism: ‘Get over the pain, new stuff happens’

Eugene Patterson — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 17:32:17 +0000

In late November 2012, Eugene Patterson, who died Saturday, prepared his thoughts about journalism in advance of a visit from an old friend. His edited reflections are reproduced here, direct from Patterson’s IBM Wheelwriter typewriter.

Journalists get to originate, … Read more

Tampa Bay Times looked for clues that source might commit suicide

Kelly McBride — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:12:27 +0000

When they learned of their source’s suicide, the Tampa Bay Times journalists who had recently published a story about Gretchen Molannen’s medical condition looked back over their communications for clues. But they found nothing, Tampa Bay Times Managing Editor … Read more

Poynter concludes tenure as ESPN ombud with 6 lessons learned

Kelly McBride and Jason Fry — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:42:43 +0000

With this column, the Poynter Review Project’s work comes to an end.

After nearly 40 columns reviewing ESPN content across all platforms, we’ll close with lessons learned over 18 months of observing the network’s various media outlets, examining their successes … Read more

Why ethics and diversity matter: The case of Trayvon Martin coverage

Eric Deggans — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:17:45 +0000

If anyone asks why ethnic, cultural and gender diversity is important in journalism, advocates have a ready answer: Greater diversity equals greater accuracy and fairness.

This belief is based, in part, on bitter experience. From turn-of-the-century lynchings in the American … Read more

Shirky: ‘We are indeed less willing to agree on what constitutes truth’

Clay Shirky — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:01:13 +0000

Here’s what the “post-fact” literature has right: the Internet allows us to see what other people actually think. This has turned out to be a huge disappointment. When anyone can say anything they like, we can’t even pretend most of … Read more