We have been talking about how the media is handling a rumor about John Kerry that emerged earlier this week. As part of our discussion, we’ve been asking one another questions about coverage and exploring ethical responses. Here’s a conversation that might help you do the same.
Q: What do you do when rumors emerge about a political candidate?
A. Pause. Listen. Read. Evaluate. Reflect. Draw up a list of questions to consider. Talk with your colleagues. Consider using Poynter’s 10 ethical questions, which include asking what you know and what you need to know, what journalistic purposes are involved, and what ethical issues emerge.
Q: What if the story already exists on the Internet and is being reported by other news media outlets?
A: Remember your organization’s standards and practices. Review them. See if they apply in this case. If you don’t have any formal policies, consider identifying some that could help guide you in your decision-making process. Check out Poynter’s guiding principles for the journalist. Talk about and decide what principles you want to govern your actions and news coverage.
Q: We’re on deadline. Don’t we need to address this story now? Won’t dealing with standards and practices slow us down?
A: Considering your journalistic purpose and ethical issues will help make your journalism better. Engaging in an ethical decision-making process can improve your reporting and the substance of your coverage. It offers questions that can lead to more complete and sound reporting. And it can enhance your credibility with your audience. Also, in this instance, the public’s “need to know” is not as urgent as it would be in the days prior to the general election.
Q: What about the justification (for publication) that says once the story is out, it’s out — and that there’s no point trying to put the genie back in the bottle?
A: Many journalists believe that you can’t un-ring a bell that’s been rung. But that doesn’t mean we can’t consider alternatives for how we ring the bell. One option journalists can consider, when it seems appropriate, is to stop ringing the bell, or stop ringing it in the same way. Consider how your news organization will be heard on this story and what image you want your audience to have about how you cover such events.
Q: Don’t voters deserve to know as much as possible about someone who is seeking their vote for president?
A: Voters need information that helps them decide whether a presidential candidate will be able to fulfill the duties of that office. They seek information about a candidate’s character, abilities, programs, experience, and other factors. What voters determine as relevant in their decision-making serves as a guide to what journalists may want to consider covering.
Q: How should news organizations decide what’s off-limits in coverage of presidential candidates?
A: In part, what’s off-limits may depend on what standards and practices a news organization upholds and why. How journalists see their ethical responsibilities also influences what they cover or don’t cover. The public’s interests or sensibilities may also play a role. Knowing what you believe, why you believe it, how you act on your beliefs and how you communicate that to your audience helps determine what’s off — or within — limits.
Q: Is there a different standard for presidential candidates than for, say, a small town city council candidate? For a prominent local business executive? For a well-known high school coach?
A: The standards we use don’t have to change. But how we apply them depends on the questions we need answered. The goal of these questions is to understand how the people we cover fit into our journalistic purpose and how much impact their presence and actions have upon the community.
Q: All things considered, is it mostly a good thing or mostly a bad thing (for journalism, for democracy) that information like this moves so much more quickly now?
A: I think describing it as “good” or “bad” is less important than considering the consequences of how such speed affects us. How we address the seemingly instant access to information and news matters. It plays an important role in how issues are framed and how people view the world.
