#ethics of journalism

[mekare-art]

Reporting on Long Covid Taught Me How to Be a Better Journalist

Covering long Covid solidified my view that science is not the objective, neutral force it is often misconstrued as. It is instead a human endeavor, relentlessly buffeted by our culture, values and politics. As energy-depleting illnesses that disproportionately affect women, long Covid and M.E./C.F.S. are easily belittled by a sexist society that trivializes women’s pain, and a capitalist one that values people according to their productivity. Societal dismissal leads to scientific neglect, and a lack of research becomes fodder for further skepticism. I understood these dynamics only after interviewing social scientists, disability scholars and patients themselves, whose voices are often absent or minimized in the media. Like the pandemic writ large, long Covid is not just a health problem. It is a social one, and must also be understood as such. […]

In covering conditions like long Covid and M.E./C.F.S., many journalistic norms and biases work against us. Our love of iconoclasts privileges the voices of skeptics, who can profess to be canceled by patient groups, over the voices of patients who are actually suffering. Our fondness for novelty leaves us prone to ignoring chronic conditions that are, by definition, not new. Normalized aspects of our work like tight deadlines and phone interviews can be harmful to the people we most need to hear from.

Ed Yong, New York Times, Dec. 11, 2023

Excellent article and the comments are full of people praising not just this article, but all the Covid 19 coverage by Ed Yong.

[imthefailedartist]

I just found out Late Night with the Devil uses some AI generated image's. If I had known that, I wouldn't have gone to see it. I wish I could get my money back.

Also, a documentary on Netflix used AI in a documentary. To manipulate the image of a real person to manipulate the truth.

So I see it is time to wait until AI usage reports come out for movies before going to see them. I'm not giving my money to companies so they can continue screwing over their employees.

[aaftuniversity]

Congratulations, dear students, on exploring the ethical principles that guide journalism in India. Upholding truth, accuracy, objectivity, and independence, journalists play a crucial role in informing and empowering the public. By respecting privacy, being accountable, and embracing diversity, they contribute to a more inclusive and responsible media landscape. As aspiring journalists, remember that ethical journalism is the cornerstone of a vibrant democracy.

[calling-the-angels]

I was reading an article from CNN about journalists in Gaza (link) and this particular paragraph stuck out to me...

I was initially a journalism major in college so I understand the background of why an organization like CNN would require this style of reporting (i.e. "both sides" representism). However, these inserts of Isreali "viewpoints" that have been shown to be barefaced lies in an article about Gazan journalists risking their lives is just piss-poor optics.

If anyone wonders why people have lost faith in traditional media sources, this is a perfect example. In an article centering Palestinian voices, the organization still requires that Israeli talking points be linked as well and often, in the same paragraph. It reads like: 'here's a quote about a personal lived experience of genocide but nah uh, here's isreali propaganda claiming they are lying and bc they are an ally, they should be believed'. It's American/Western exceptionalism at its finest because "why should we believe a Palestinian, they aren't paragons of truth and justice like we are?"

I don't know if I quite explained myself like I wanted but this particular article just made me so angry that CNN and other Western media were once considered 'trustworthy' sources of information and now are parroting isreali lies. AND telling their readers that Palestinian voices on the ground telling first-hand information are not "good enough" sources of information.

[gamer2002]

Journalists demonstrate that they are unbiased by suspending the editor who has said that they are biased

[postcardsfromspace]

An Open Letter to New York Times Subscribers

Hello,

I am writing to encourage you to cancel your subscription to the New York Times, in light of their consistently aggressively biased, irresponsible, and shoddy reporting on trans issues and stacking of their op-ed section with transphobic voices.

This is not a new problem, but it's one that the NYT has compounded and doubled down on over the last few years. The open letter published yesterday is a remarkably civil overview of the issues with their reporting and the material harm that reporting has done; it doesn't even touch on the op-ed stuff, which is absolutely vile. The NYT's official response was to dismiss the signatories--including hundreds of NYT contributors and thousands of readers and other media professionals (including me)--as "activists" working at odds with the NYT's nominal goal of journalistic integrity. The next day--today--they headlined their op-ed section with a defense of J.K. Rowling, who has done more to misinform and stoke the fires of transphobia--in both practice and official policy--than any other public figure, comparing her "persecution"--being correctly identified as transphobic--to that experienced by Salman Rushdie, and repeatedly misgendering trans men as women.

As a former journalist, I consider the NYT's reporting on trans issues unconscionable; as a trans person, I find it incredibly scary. NYT articles--ones misreported to an extent that has triggered open criticism from major medical organizations--have been used to justify some of the most aggressive anti-trans legislation this and last season. That the "paper of record" has decided to advocate for our dehumanization puts the dignity and lives of people like me in active jeopardy, and regardless the quality of their other work, I don't think there's a conscionable way to continue to support them. Yours, Jay Edidin

[philosophybits]

There's a difference as big as that between heaven and hell between the proud courage that dares to fear all and the humble courage that dares to hope for all.

Søren Kierkegaard, Journals and Papers

[world-of-wales]

Really shows what the motive was behind all the ruckus the media created over a family photo, when you realise none of them are covering the privacy breach. A woman recovering from surgery having to deal with a violation like this on top of everything people have slug on her in the past weeks.....

But i don't see the press talking about this. Where's all the doomsday articles about people losing their sense of basic decency dailymail??? Why aren't you having special segments about it itv????? Where's the 'exclusive' interviews with the so-called experts gb news?????

[blueiight]

armand having the newest ipad w the keyboard, daniel’s new but slightly outdated macbook… and louis. having no tech infront of him… orr. louis as the living technology.. what makes human, ‘human’? that vampire is being interviewed indeed chiiiii

[blazehedgehog]

(Not a bait question, I hope!) Is it me, or is the hatred towards Game Journalists the result of the Alt-Right's Anti-Intellectual "philosophy" infecting the gaming community? It feels like ANY intellectual reading of gaming is hated unless it's "non-offensive" (i.e. doesn't mention politics). Journalists get the brunt of it for daring to criticize gaming on the daily, even if they agree with gamers. (I.E. BG3's rave reviews being ignored in favor of a single article about it being too hard.)

I mean, depending on the read, that's where it started, with Gamergate in 2014. The whole thing was about "ethics in game journalism", remember, which mainly existed to drive a wedge into the community in order to create a smoke screen to harass minorities and women.

A campaign to make people angry about something, but when you tried to clearly define what that something was, nobody could agree. This tied into the general idea that "gamergate had no leader" -- it was a decentralized campaign of hatred that basically let you make up whatever you wanted to be mad about that day. A blank check to gatekeep and be a bigot in subtle (and not so subtle) ways.

A lot of what became the ("alt-") right wing extremist playbook had its first dry run with gamergate. And a lot of GG's hardest core members seemed to transition over pretty smoothly. It was the birth of the "angry white man" that is maybe a little too obsessed with whether or not Brie Larson should be Ms. Marvel. People who willingly slid down the slippery slope and went "weeeee!" as they dove.

And, for the record, I'm sure some people in gamergate were feeling valid unrest about a variety of different topics. But it has become clear to me that a lot of people make assumptions about things they do not participate in, nor understand, and that those assumptions are often wrong. So even the people inside of gamergate, with real valid fears about actual journalism ethics were probably afraid for the wrong reasons about things that might not have even been real problems -- and fearmongers ended up exploiting that to fuel the movement.

That campaign of misdirected fear and hatred is exactly what the alt-right movement was, and to some degree, continues to be. Shut-ins who don't understand how the world actually works, chasing their own tails over self-made anxiety and paranoia, in it so deep they don't even remember which direction is up anymore. And they're angry about it. So, so angry.

[cir-papi-di4bl0]

Speed Dating Storytime...

So, I downloaded this app the other day to find some kink events for a group calendar I help manage. I found this event for Virtual Poly Speed Dating, and didn't really know what to expect, but I was curious. I've never even been to ANY speed dating event, really... virtual or physical. 😳

Anywho, the event came and went. There were like about 30 individual screens, some couples, some solo pplz. It was interesting since I seemed one of maybe a handFull of Enbies present. (If i'm BEing totally G about it, maybe there were 3 of us, judging by intros.) Also, can't help but notice I never crossed paths with the 4 other melanated people in attendance. Mind you, there was like 5 of us, and none of the times we shuffled rooms did I run into them. Sadness since I saw one of them (We'll call her Susie) on the app's RSVP list, and she seemed pretty dope.

To My surprise, Susie actually ended up messaging Me after the event, and expressing similar sadness for not being able to sit in company with Me during any of the shuffles. HA! 😅 We love a little synchronicity with our awkward-ass, preliminary speed dating experiences, right?! Thanks for that sprinkle of hope and irony, Universe. ✨ Well played.

Outside of that, the experience was koo, but the crowd wasn't My flavor. Many seemed to InJoy My dark humor, and Goth Boi presentation, but some (like Azzholes) talked over Me, and even grilled Me on My pronouns, making thing extremely awkward. All pale, all males, all cis. Even with that, ya Dude still handled it graceFully, redirecting the ignorance, and returning to the conversation prompts. While there were some there that were familiar with Gender Non-Conformity, and even some kinky F/folx, I just didn't feel it for Me in that space. Ugh. It would be koo though if some of them hit Me up and we walked away as new friends. Especially that other Rope Top I sat in space with. They were pretty hilarious.

In summary, ugh... I'm still working out how I feel about dating in general, and it's not that I'm not connected, (Queer Platonic local partner and LD Life Partner). Happy with them, I've just been feeling like I need to explore connection a bit differently outside of those relationships. (Did I mention I'm a bit of a comet at times?) And since I've been InJoying a brand new outlook on relationships and what healthy connection actually is for Me, I need to be able to apply this knowledge so.............. dating.

yay. 😶

In other news, Susie and I may be connecting soon to "see where we fit" with each other. Interesting how we both felt something from the other, in such a small window of exposure, right? The transmission of vibes, even virtually/remotely cannot be underestimated, yo. I've been called to do new things and step out of comfort zones and this experience definitely feels like it. Is this what the Ancestors were hinting when that "Song of the Wild" card nudged Me this morning?

In other news, at least I know a couple of swinging, Reiki-practicing, former attorneys in Florida, who live at a nudist resort, and say I'm always welcum. 😅🤣👀 LOL!

Ah... What is life if not hilarious?

[lavalamp-juice]

We went to get food after the movie and I got the order number 42! (The spider that bit Miles has a 42 on it)

[thatstormygeek]

This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle hard to thread. No matter how I present it, I’ll offend some thoughtful, decent people. The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information. The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse. This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it.

Personally, I find it hard to understand how Americans who take pride in our system of government support Trump. All those soldiers who died in World War II were fighting against the kind of regime Trump wants to create on our soil. How do they not see it? The March 25 edition of the New Yorker magazine offers some insight. It includes a detailed review of a new book about Adolf Hitler, focused on the year 1932. It’s called “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power” and is by historian Timothy W. Ryback. It explains how German leaders – including some in the media -- thought they could use Hitler as a means to get power for themselves and were willing to look past his obvious deficiencies to get where they wanted. In tolerating and using Hitler as a means to an end, they helped create the monstrous dictator responsible for millions of deaths. How are those German leaders different from people in Congress saying the election was stolen or that Jan. 6 was not an insurrection aimed at destroying our government? They know the truth, but they deny it. They see Trump as a means to an end – power for themselves and their “team” – even if it means repeatedly telling lies.

[calling-the-angels]

Shame on you, USA Today!

This is the shoddiest piece of "journalism" I have ever seen. @usatoday

Examples (emphasis mine):

"Explosions were heard in Iran after Israel launched missile strikes in retaliation for a barrage of more than 300 drones and missiles fired by Tehran over the weekend..."

"It was unclear what targets had been hit inside Iran. Iran's weekend swarm of munitions and Israel's response marked the first direct exchanges of fire between the regional arch-enemies."

"Israel, the U.S. and other regional and Western allies joined forces on Saturday to blast hundreds of Iranian drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles out of the sky after they were fired at Israel."

"That attack was itself an act of retaliation after Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khameni, blamed Israel for an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, that killed several people including a leading Revolutionary Guards commander."

"Officials have been on edge about the possibility of a regional war since the Palestinian militant group Hamas rampaged across southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking more than 200 people hostage. More than 30,000 Palestinians have died in the ensuing six months in Israeli airstrikes and ground fire, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry."

Language -- and how you use it -- matters, dammit.

It matters what words you use to describe an action. The word you choose tells the reader context clues about what is an acceptable action and what is not. It influences viewpoints about what you are reporting on. Using words and phrases like "barrage" and "swarm of munitions" while painting Israel's actions as a simple "response" without context is a gross manipulation tactic.

It is a gross manipulation tactic to paint the actions of "Israel, the U.S. and other regional and Western allies" as this heroic and epic fantasy where they "joined forces" and "blasted" enemy fire "out of the sky" after they were "fired at Israel." Why did they fire at Israel? Go on, you reported on it. Despite the fact that this linked article features the same shameful use of deliberate word choices to manipulate your readers, you even quoted the Iranian ambassador Hossein Akbari saying that the Iranian response would be "the same magnitude and harshness." Is that not what the terrible "barrage" of missiles and drones fired over the weekend was? Surely, you will bring this up in the article.

"The attack was itself an act of retaliation..." Great, we are going to mention that Israel attacked Iran first. "... after Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khameni, blamed Israel for an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria." What the fuck. Not only do you then continue on to diminish the lives lost in that airstrike using word choices like "killed several people" and then highlighting one's military connections. It is a blatant manipulation tactic to frame Israel's attack as retaliatory due to an accusation of violence that only "killed several people." Fuck you for diminishing the lives of those in the Middle East living this fucking war/nightmare. Fuck you.

And then, to add insult to injury, you use more inflammatory language to associate Palestinians with a "militant group" called Hamas that "rampaged across southern Israel on Oct. 7." Is Hamas a part of local authority in Gaza? Yes. But painting Palestinians in broad brush strokes with that tone and word association is extremely dangerous and damaging. It's almost similar to how Israeli propaganda speaks about Palestinians...

You then discredit any reporting about the "self defense" that Israel has visited on Gaza and Palestine in the 6 months since October. You do this by stating that the shocking idea of "30,000 Palestinian deaths" (which has already been reported on by far more reputable news sources... though they have their own faults) is the reported deaths by the "Hamas-run Gaza health ministry." Since you have already done the job of describing Hamas as a "militant group" that "rampages" across Israel, do you think that associating the most reliable death count with the "enemy" isn't a disgusting manipulation tactic that belittles and diminishes the very real genocide happening against the Palestinians? Caused by their occupier, Israel?

You aren't news or journalism like you frame yourself to be through your website layout, articles, and tv shows. You are propaganda, bought and paid for by the Israeli occupation. You are on the wrong side of history.

I hope that you and the Western media that have used similar tactics are used in future journalism classes at universities and colleges around the world. I hope you are used as an example of terrible, bad reporting informed only by biases and internal memos telling you what to say. I am disgusted.

Fuck Israel. Fuck the IOF. Fuck Western media.

🇵🇸FREE PALESTINE🇵🇸

[gamer2002]

[ebookporn]

AP Bans Use Of AI For Creating Stories Or Art

by Ray Schultz

The Associated Press has joined a small but growing list of news organizations that have issued guidelines on artificial intelligence.

AI cannot be used to create publishable content and images for AP, the news service says, according to an AP news report. Still, AP encourages staff members to learn about AI. 

In addition, all AI material should be vetted carefully, AP adds. And AI-generated photos, videos or audio segments should not be used unless they are the subject of a story, AP writes. 

The AP stylebook used by many news organizations will add a chapter on the subject today.  

“Our goal is to give people a good way to understand how we can do a little experimentation but also be safe,” says Amanda Barrett, vice president of news standards and inclusion at AP.

However, this comes barely a month after  the Associated Press and Open AI announced they are collaborating to examine potential use cases for generative AI. 

Under the arrangement, OpenAI will license part of AP’s text archive, while AP will make use of OpenAI’s technology and product expertise, reports state. 

The Guardian recently updated its editorial code to state that ““AI systems should not be used to generate text or images intended to be directly inserted into published journalism outside of exceptional and specific circumstances.”

In a similar way, Wired will not publish AI-generated stories “except when the fact that it’s AI-generated is the point of the whole story,” AP writes. 

Earlier this month, OpenAI announced a $395,000 grant to fund a journalism ethics initiative at New York University.