Crash course in media ethics

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By Skylar Wolfe

You may be a writer, but first and foremost, you're a person.  As you continue learning to report, keep in mind that your stories are also about people.

You have the power to tell people's stories, to influence the public and to frame people in a certain light.

As you probably already know, a main principle of journalism is to cause no harm.  Finding a balance between informing the public and protecting someone's feelings may be difficult.

Of course, always tell the truth.  Hiding an important story can cause more harm than good, for you and for the public who relies on you for information.

All of this is important, but as you have likely noticed, not every piece of information on the internet has been published with the same thought and care as it should be.

You can avoid being tricked by looking for accurate attribution and sources, but also examine potential biases.

We have all lived different lives, and therefore we all see the world differently.  Different is good - hurtful or damaging is not.

Always question the perspective of the reporter, and think about why they wanted to report on that specific event that specific way.

Overall, use your judgement.  If something seems fake or misleading, trust your instincts and do your research.

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