Who said media law is dull and dry? Check out this video explanation of libel from Mark Harmon of the University of Tennessee. You might have to watch it twice to take it all in. Betty Boop Explains Libel from…
A new way of looking at libel
Tag: Ethics
Jim Lehrer’s journalism guidelines
The national nightly news broadcast on public television will look different tonight. For more than 30 years, Jim Lehrer has been the face of the program. Now, his role will be diminished and his name removed from the program’s title.…
How to learn to be accurate
Every journalist knows the importance of getting it right. As the legendary publisher Joseph Pulitzer once said, there are three rules of journalism: Accuracy, accuracy and accuracy. Mistakes damage credibility so preventing errors is paramount. But how are journalists taught…
Twitter mistakes cost journalists
This post is not an anti-Twitter rant, instead it’s a cautionary tale. By now, we’ve all heard stories about newsrooms sending out inaccurate tweets and then paying the price for it. Take the case of WFTV in Orlando, for example,…
Are J-school students really journalists?
If a journalism school offers real world experience, should the students who participate be protected by reporters’ privilege? That’s a key question in a case involving a professor and students at Northwestern’s Medill J-school. David Protess runs the school’s “Innocence…
Shepard Smith gives advice to young journalists
Having worked for more than 20 years in TV news, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith spoke enthusiastically about his job and the future of journalism before a crowd at the University of Mississippi. Smith says he got into the news business with…
How newsrooms deal with trauma
Some news stories have lasting psychological effects on journalists. Just ask anyone who covered the 9/11 attacks or the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But traumatic effects like stress disorders aren’t confined to major national disasters, as the staff of WGAL-TV…
Print writing help for TV journalists
One of the criticisms leveled at TV news sites is the hit-or-miss quality of the writing. Part of the problem, as many in the broadcast industry freely admit, is a discomfort with or lack of knowledge about writing in “print style.” One tool that…
Notes from an ombudsman
NPR’s Alicia Shepard calls it “the loneliest job in the newsroom.” As NPR’s ombudsman, Shepard serves as a bridge between public radio listeners and staffers, explaining each side to the other. A large part of her job involves responding to…
Pros and cons of sharing news video
It’s happening everywhere. Stations from Tampa to Los Angeles are forming local partnerships to share news video. The arrangements vary from market to market, but so far stations owned by Fox, Gannett, Scripps, Tribune and Meredith have jumped into the…