August 16, 2022

Top stories

■ 'As many folks watch Wyoming's primary election today, I beg you to follow local journalists who know what they're talking about and aren't just reporting from Jackson for the free vacation. I recommend: @Victoria_Eavis @CSTribune @maggiemlln @WillWalkey @Koshywrites @WTEnews' (Morgan Hughes) / ‘Much of the recent Cheney coverage that I’ve seen has explicitly widened the lens beyond her current race, casting it as a pivot point in the wider sweep of her career’ (Columbia Journalism Review) / 'In light of today's onslaught of national Cheney coverage, I'd like to invite everyone to play another game of Wyoming cliche bingo.' (Josh Wolfson) / Earlier: Liz Cheney is ready to lose. But she's not ready to quit. (New York Times) / Earlier: Sarah Palin has long been ridiculed. I wanted to tell a different story. (Washington Post) 


■ Alex Wagner’s challenge at MSNBC: Keeping the Rachel Maddow superfans (Washington Post) 


■ Byron Allen aims to add more inclusion in the news and media industry through purchase of Black News Channel (NBC News) 


■ Activist investors come for media: Disney and the New York Times are under pressure from activist investors to focus their business efforts on consumer revenue. (Axios) 


■ How media companies like The New York Times, BuzzFeed and Gannett are managing costs in an economic downturn (Digiday) / How The Washington Post’s Joy Robins is using lessons from 2020 to handle the current economic slowdown (Digiday) 


■ Condé Nast on pace to top 2021 revenues (Axios) 


■ Local news business models emerge; New Jersey has the most local news sites of any state in the U.S. (Medill Local News Initiative) / Earlier: Four case studies of innovative models in local news (Medill)


■ ‘Where the soul meets the bone’: Why ‘Dopesick’s’ Beth Macy stays on the opioid beat; 'Capturing both corporate corruption and on-the-ground tragedy has been especially hard on Macy, who in her years of reporting on life in Appalachia has prided herself on getting up close and personal with the people she’s covering.' (Los Angeles Times) 


■ Why does my stomach hurt? It’s not because I eat at restaurants for a living (New York Times) / Food diary: How a 27-year-old consultant eats on $225K/year in Washington, D.C. (Bon Appétit)


■ How to investigate your next New York apartment like a reporter (ProPublica and The City)


■ ‘I started thinking about who looks at these things, the galleries and photo books, and it's mostly other photographers like me. You could look me up: I'm bearded, I'm white, I'm 53 years old. Is that the audience I want? Maybe not.’ (Palm Springs Desert Sun)


■ Unknowingly walking in the footsteps of Gordon Parks: In a predominantly Black neighborhood in Washington, D.C., Andre D. Wagner found himself shadowing the journey of the groundbreaking civil rights photographer. (New York Times)


■ Why the media declared Anne Heche dead twice; 'I don’t think anyone did anything journalistically or ethically wrong. The family isn’t angry at anyone' (Washington Post) / When did Anne Heche die? Media are split in the definition of 'dead' (Los Angeles Times)


■ She was a pioneering newspaper publisher in a room full of men. In history, she wasn't alone (CNN) 


Press freedom


■ After a police bullet took her eye in 2020, photojournalist invests part of her settlement into community (WCCO)


■ 26 news outlets, press freedom groups urge U.S. Dept. of Justice to protect reporters from anti-abortion legislation (Mother Jones) / Abortion providers would like you to please stop interviewing anti-abortion propagandists (Jezebel) 


■ CIA sued over alleged spying on lawyers, journalists who met Julian Assange (Reuters)

A Question of Ethics: Do you take your journalism code with you when you leave?

By Aly Colón


The connections between press, politics, and communications sometimes may appear as a three-legged stool. But the ethical seat you sit on depends on what role you play and how you handle the information you provide.


Consider a relatively recent example: Former Phoenix Fox 10 news anchor Kari Lake is now the GOP nominee for governor of Arizona. She went from delivering news as a TV anchor to badmouthing news people as a candidate.


Other transplants from journalism left behind their traditional journalistic independence to serve the public by: running for office, working in public relations, providing advertising, or communicating in other ways.


Different fields often come with their own codes of ethics, which can be complicated and confusing.


How might a journalist’s ethical concerns and rules change if they leave a newsroom and work for the public interest in another way?


Here are some questions to ponder:


  • What do you see as your current ethical responsibilities as a journalist?
  • What ethical constraints do you face?
  • How would that change depending on the new field you enter, such as PR, advertising, or communications?
  • What ethics would you be leaving behind? What ethical guidance would you be seeking?
  • What deep reflection have you engaged in regarding your journalistic ethics and how might those reflections differ in your new environment?
  • How do you anticipate explaining such a transition ethically?
  • How would the mantra minimize harm change?


Aly Colón is the Knight Professor of Media Ethics in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Washington and Lee University.

Manager's Minute: What should I do for maximum follow through?

Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow, offers tips to improve maximum follow through in your work.

Manager's Minute: What should I do for maximum follow through?

Read next: Adopt a ‘progress bar’ mindset for your team members

 

Get more career advice: Read Jill's columns | Watch Manager's Minute videos

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The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.