A young journalist is appointed as a parliamentary reporter for a public service broadcaster in a Western democracy.

He is assigned to cover a specific region of the country. His job is to get to know his area’s MPs (members of parliament) and to cover their activities.

Keen to make an impression, he draws up a list of all the politicians on his new patch. His region has several constituencies where the sitting MP is a senior government minister.

A national story breaks. The minister in charge of the department concerned is on the reporter’s list. The journalist makes contact.

The minister, a Secretary of State in the department at the centre of the story, invites the reporter round to his private rooms in the parliament building. He has, so far, been refusing to be interviewed on the topic.

They have a chat, the reporter explains that he has taken over the patch and that he wanted to get to know all his MPs.

The minister seems friendly. He offers the reporter a cup of tea. They appear to get on well. The MP’s assistant is hovering in the background.

Towards the end of the chat the reporter asks the politician whether he would agree to a short recorded interview on the developing story. He says yes.

An audio clip from the interview makes national news. After it is broadcast, the reporter’s boss praises him for his work; it’s a good start in the new job.

Three months later the minister’s assistant calls to tell the reporter that the minister has a story for him. The reporter is excited. It sounds like he could be in line for another scoop.

He’s invited to visit the MP’s office again. When he turns up he’s handed a piece of paper. He reads what seems like nothing more than a public relations plug for the minister; the reporter fails to see the story.

He questions whether there is anything newsworthy to report. The minister seems surprised, and replies that he had done him a favour with a quote three months earlier and now it’s his turn to return the favour and report what the minister wants.

The reporter had no idea that the minister would want to call in a favour after giving a quote.

The minister’s assistant talks to the reporter as he leaves and suggests that it might not be as easy for her to arrange a meeting in the future if the reporter fails to cover the story the minister wants publicised.

What should the reporter do?

a) Do the story the way the minister wants. The reporter will be covering the region for some time, and he does not want to fall out with one of the most senior politicians on his patch – doing so could mean that he will miss out on quotes in the future when he might need them.

b) Ignore the request, knowing that he is under no obligation to cover the story. He might have been naive in the way he approached the first meeting with the minister, but he didn’t do any deals to get the first interview.

The suggested approach

Political interviewing should never be a matter of returning assumed favours.

Journalists should never do deals to get information or interviews. There will always be a price to pay if they do.

In this case the journalist reported the matter to his line manager who also failed to see the news story in the issue the minister wanted to publicise. And, even if he had, it would have been wrong for the story to be covered on the understanding that it was because a favour was being returned.

Interestingly, deciding not to cover what was a PR stunt didn’t disadvantage the reporter when it came to requesting future interviews. The politician was clearly trying to exploit the situation.

Related training modules

How to interview politicians

The relationship between journalists and politicians

Integrity and journalism

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The post Returning ‘favours’ – scenario first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Emily Shawcross is an award winning blogger living and working on an island state in the Caribbean.

She is something of a maverick by nature but has uncovered some really good stories on corrupt practices involving mining companies and politicians.

Eventually this leads to an award from the United Nations as anti-corruption journalist of the year.

Islands TV recruits Emily to be the main presenter on its evening business programme, Drive For Money.

Emily is excited by the new job and is looking forward to bringing her award-winning investigative journalistic approach to the programme

However, Islands TV signs a secret contract with the Minister For Industry And Development, John Jackson, which, for the equivalent of $250,000 USD, guarantees him at least 10 appearances on the programme during a 20-week run.

Emily finds out about the contract, but has only just joined Islands TV, and is earning more in a month than she did in a year as a blogger. Should Emily:

1. Say nothing but strive to ask difficult questions to balance out any bias
2. Raise her concerns with the producer of the programme and Islands TV management and hope that they will at least acknowledge that any interview is paid for
3. Resign immediately and say nothing about why
4. Resign immediately and leak the story to Island TV’s main competitor, Sunshine Watch

What would you do?

Suggested action

In the real example of this fictional scenario the reporter resigned but said nothing. However tough the interview might be, the reputational risk to Emily’s name as a journalist is more important than any other consideration.

Raising the concerns with the station management was pointless, since corruption works two ways. Accepting the money is as corrupt as taking it. Leaking the story would have broken the terms of Emily’s contract of employment.

The post Interviewing integrity – scenario first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Journalism, PR or propaganda?

If the content you produce pushes an agenda, spins a line, favours a sector of society, promotes a certain initiative without question, is manipulated to achieve a subjective outcome, or has a desired objective, you are probably producing public relations copy or even propaganda.

Real journalism is based on applying strict editorial ethics to all we do so that we can examine the issues that have the most impact on the lives of our audience.

So, does your journalism pass the test? Consider the following questions to see whether your journalism is ethical or not.

Eight questions to consider

1: What is your journalistic purpose and what do you hope to achieve by doing the story?

2: What is your personal motivation? Do you have any vested interests in the outcome?

3: Have you included different perspectives and diverse ideas so that the journalism you produce is thorough and informative?

4: Have you ignored any elements that might appear to weaken the story you are writing?

5: Have you considered what motivates those you are interviewing?

6: Are all your questions fair, or are they leading or manipulative? 

7: What are the possible consequences of the story you are producing both in the short term and long term?  

8: Are you using those you choose to interview in order to strengthen your article without considering the possible harm they might suffer once the story is published?

9: Are you able to justify your editorial decisions to your colleagues, to those who you interview, and to the public?

10: Is your journalism original, well-sourced, accurate, and honest?

Seven rules for getting it right

1: Keep your eyes wide open – seek truth and report it as fully as possible.

2: Act independently – owe nobody and don’t seek favours or favourites.

3: Minimise harm – protect your sources, respect privacy, be aware of possible consequences.

4: Assess all facts – don’t ignore the uncomfortable, or that which goes against your script.

5: Seek out independent sources – don’t follow the flock, find fresh voices and perspectives.

6: Thoroughly check the validity of information – take nothing at face value and make sure you have researched and can justify the inclusion of every fact.

7: Be wary of subjective manipulation – don’t be swayed by those who want you to put a positive spin on news.

Seven attitudes of mind

1: Be honest, fair, and courageous in your news gathering and reporting.

2: Give voice to the voiceless, scrutinise the executive and ensure your journalism holds the powerful to account.

3: Guard vigorously the role a free media plays in an open society.

4: Seek out and disseminate competing perspectives, especially those which are rarely heard.

5: Remain free of associations and activities that could compromise your ability to publish the truth.

6: Always consider how your journalism could impact the lives of those who feature in your coverage.

7: Treat all with respect, and not as a means to achieving your journalistic end.

A dozen rules on accuracy

1: All work must be well-sourced.

2: It must be based on sound evidence.

3: Your writing must be thoroughly fact-checked.

4: It must be presented in clear, precise language.

5: Avoid spreading unfounded speculation, rumour and gossip.

6: Accuracy is more important than speed. Never rush a story to be first with the news. Better to be second and right rather than first and wrong.

7: Ensure you always weigh all the relevant facts and information in order to get to the truth.

8: If an issue is controversial you must always include all relevant opinions so that your reporting is not one-sided.

9: Gather material using first-hand sources wherever possible.

10: Ensure you read through everything you write.

11: Check the authenticity of documentary evidence and digital material.

12: Corroborate claims and allegations made.

Six considerations regarding impartiality and diversity of opinion

1: Always strive to reflect a wide range of opinions.

2: Always be prepared to explore a range of conflicting views.

3: Never ignore any significant strands of thought or under-represented groups.

4: Exercise your freedom to produce content about any subject, at any point on the spectrum of debate, as long as there are good editorial reasons for doing so.

5: Ensure to avoid bias or an imbalance of views on all issues, particularly controversial subjects.

6: You will sometimes need to report on issues that may cause serious offence to many. You must be sure that a clear public interest outweighs the possible offence.

Seven criteria for deciding when news is in the public interest

1: Exposing or detecting crime.

2: Highlighting significant anti-social behaviour, corruption or injustice.

3: Disclosing significant incompetence or negligence.

4: Uncovering information that allows people to make informed decisions about matters of public importance.

5: Protecting the health and safety of the public.

6: Preventing the public from being misled.

7: Protecting issues of freedom of expression.

Fairness

Be open, honest and straightforward in dealing with contributors, unless there is a clear public interest in doing otherwise. Where allegations are being made, the individuals or organisations concerned should normally be given the right of reply.

Privacy

It is essential in order to exercise your rights of freedom of expression and information that you work within a framework which respects an individual’s privacy and treats them fairly while investigating and establishing matters which it is in the public interest to reveal.

Integrity

Always remain independent of both state and partisan interests. Never endorse or appear to endorse any organisations, products, activities or services.

Sources

Accept information from any source, but know you will need to make a personal decision as to which information is worth considering and which is not. Sources must always be checked, especially when dealing with first-time sources that have never been used before. It is important to protect sources that do not wish to be named.

The post Is your journalism ethical? first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Integrity is essential if a journalist wants to investigate issues thoroughly in order to find the truth. A journalist with integrity can’t be bought, swayed, or influenced. They do not accept favours, bribes, or promises. They are free from any chains that could prevent them from shining a light in dark places, digging where others don’t, and holding the powerful to account. In editorial terms it means the following:

• not to sell your services for financial reward other than the salary or fee you receive from your employer.
• not to take money from a person, group or organisation in return for ensuring that their story is covered by your news organisation.
• not to promote a story based on any personal, group, or partisan interests.
• not to endorse or appear to endorse any organisation, its products, activities or services.
• not to promote commercial products or services.
• not to promote your own media organisation.

Promotional stories

News releases arrive in the newsroom every day promoting a product or a company, often these are disguised as news items, when, clearly, they are advertising material. We must:

• retain all editorial control of any material that we uncover, or which is given to us by others, and ensure that we have the final say in how it is used or not used.
• when choosing which stories to cover we must do so on the basis of our own independent editorial justification, and we need to be able to defend those decisions if challenged.
• always be aware that some people contributing material will be doing so in order to influence our editorial output
• be able to justify – if we feel we need to name a product, service or organisation in our output – that the decision was required in order to inform the public debate properly and in full.

Product placement

A journalist must never include a product or service in sound, vision or print in return for cash, services or any consideration in kind. We must:

• ensure that references to trade names, brand names and slogans are clearly editorially justified.
• never use material from advertising campaigns or promotions without revealing the source and making clear, through our script, why the material was used.
• not linger on brand names or logos and use verbal references sparingly unless there are strong journalistic reasons for repeated references to a brand.
• never accept free or reduced-cost products or services from those whose brands are featuring in our output.

Free material and gifts

It is extremely dangerous for a journalist to take gifts. There will always be a price to pay at some future date. The best advice is to say no. A journalist should always pay for their own travel and accommodation. There may be some situations where a producer of a lifestyle programme or section is offered facilities to sample so that they can report on them, in such cases the following rules should apply:

• keep accurate records of what has been accepted.
• never guarantee that any product or service will be featured.
• never guarantee the approach that will be taken in dealing with the product or service.
• always inform suppliers that they cannot refer to your news organisation in selling their products.
• give on-air, online or in-print credits only if clearly editorially justified.
• never offer suppliers any editorial say or influence in the programme.
• never offer them a preview of it with a view to them being able to make changes.

Media trips

It is best not to accept expenses-paid trips, unless they are the only way to cover the story – for example, such a case might be the first flight of a new airline service.

Undue prominence

Be careful where a guest on a broadcast programme has a particular product to push, such as a book, a new piece of music, a show or a film. It is fine to discuss the editorial issues, but you need to ensure that they are not taking advantage of you because you are including them in your programme.

Online links

When creating links to articles online, make sure that you link only to material that adds value and is not simply promoting a product. Lazy links go to home pages, thought-through links explain more about the subject. Ensure that links lead to material that explains more about the topic being mentioned so that those using your service will be better informed.

You must never include a link to a commercial site in return for cash, services or any other consideration in kind. All links must be editorially justified and should lead to sites which are:

• clearly relevant to the content of the page where the link is placed
• normally free to access
• normally factually accurate

We must never give the impression that we are endorsing a commercial product or service.

Conflict of interest

There must never be any suggestion that personal, commercial, business, financial or other interests have influenced your news organisation’s editorial decisions. Presenters, reporters, producers, editors, researchers and managers are all affected. The higher someone’s level of editorial responsibility, the greater the need to avoid any possible conflicts of interest. Typical conflicts of interest for journalists include:

• writing for another news organisation
• public speaking/public appearances
• delivering media public relations training
• connections to charities and campaigning organisations
• taking part in political activities
• hospitality and personal benefits
• being an active member of a political party
• being an activist in a campaign organisation
• financial and business interests.

Journalists must declare all these to their senior editorial managers if they feel that there is a conflict of interest that could damage the news organisation’s integrity.

Social action

Journalists should not be seen to campaign about social issues, your job is to report about them, not be part of them. Journalists are free to have their own opinions, but these must not influence your journalistic work. You must remain impartial. This is particularly important where:

• social action programmes or campaigns coincide with a government campaign or lobbying initiative
• The output could be seen to embrace the agenda of a particular campaign group.

Charities

The same is true with charities. Many are competing. As a journalist, you will probably have your favourites. This must never influence your story choice or story treatment. It is healthy to declare charitable interests at the earliest opportunity. Personal interests must never influence story choice or story treatment. A media organisation will work with charities in a number of ways:

• broadcasting/publishing appeals
• mounting fundraising appeals
• reflecting the work of charities in the editorial output
• as partners in social action or awareness campaigns.

However, for every charity doing good there is likely to be another competing in that space. Also, don’t get too close; you may end up covering a story about wrongdoing involving a charity, and you need to be free to examine all issues without fear of being compromised.

External relationships

When entering into an external relationship, journalists must ensure that:

• editorial impartiality and integrity are not compromised and that you control all editorial output.
• the choice of partners is editorially justified and will not bring the media organisation into disrepute.
• no money or other services are accepted in exchange for broadcast coverage or publicity.
• you work with a range of organisations and do not unduly favour one above another
• you do not promote or appear to endorse other organisations, products, services, views or opinions.

Related training scenario

Journalistic integrity – scenario

The post Integrity and journalism first appeared on Media Helping Media.