By:
December 12, 2003
  • Facing a tough ethical call on deadline?
  • Wrestling with a thorny news judgment about privacy, sources, or fairness?
  • Grappling with how to handle a graphic photo or video?
  • Heading into an ethics minefield on an investigative story?
  • Dealing with a conflict of interest dilemma?
  • Deciding how far to go in interviewing or naming juveniles?
  • Struggling with the complexity and contention of covering race relations and other diversity issues?
  • Wondering about how to approach rape and sexual abuse coverage?
If you are a professional journalist and think Poynter can help, give us a call on our special toll-free number: 877-639-7817. The best time to reach us is between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. East Coast time. We don’t pretend to offer simple answers. We will help you make good decisions. We encourage journalism students to e-mail your questions after reviewing what we’ve written on our website (See our Ethics section, Talk About Ethics, the Poynter Ethics Journal, and Journalism with a Difference, as well as the below).

    Online Resources

    Guiding Principles for the Journalist
    Bob Steele, December 1994.
    http://livex.poynter.org/column.asp?id=36&aid=4349

    Ask These 10 Questions to Make Good Ethical Decisions
    Bob Steele, June 1999.
    http://livex.poynter.org/column.asp?id=36&aid=4346

    “Who Said That?” Guidelines for Evaluating Sources http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4634

    Guidelines for Interviewing Confidential Sources
    Bob Steele and Al Tompkins, May 1999.
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4361

    Respecting Privacy Guidelines
    Bob Steele, May 1999.
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4643

    Guidelines for Interviewing Juveniles
    Al Tompkins, May 17, 1999.
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4571

    Identifying Juveniles
    Al Tompkins
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=5555

    Deception/Hidden Cameras Checklist
    Bob Steele, February 1995.
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=866

    Guidelines for Covering Hostage-taking Crises, Prison Uprisings,Terrorist Actions
    Bob Steele, July 1999.
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4640

    Reporting on Race Relations, Guidelines & Tips
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4448

    Racial Identification Guidelines
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4343

    The 5 W’s of Journalism from a Diverse Perspective
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4604

    Get Online and Get Information Fast
    http://livex.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4436

    Support high-integrity, independent journalism that serves democracy. Make a gift to Poynter today. The Poynter Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, and your gift helps us make good journalism better.
    Donate
    Tags: ,
    Aly Colón
    Aly Colón is the John S. and James L. Knight Chair in Journalism Ethics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Previously, Colón led…
    Aly Colón

    More News

    Back to News