Ethical Journalism News

During a two-day visit to meet members of the Egyptian media with a delegation from the Ethical Journalism Network there, journalists told us they were reflecting the will of the people in speaking in support of the government’s “war on terror”, although that is not true of all journalists.  Away from their bosses some of the younger ones express a wish for a return to the challenging journalism aimed at the government that characterised the revolution of 2011, but none felt able to say this openly. ( via The Guardian)

The “Right to Be Forgotten” refers to a ruling by an EU Court of Justice this year allowing people in Europe to get search engines to remove links to stories that are “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant” that they don’t like about themselves.  But are you still forgotten if the media is now reporting the particulars of the very story you are attempting to remove from search engines to save yourself embarrassment? ( via iMediaEthics)

After registering slightly higher trust last year, Americans’ confidence in the media’s ability to report “the news fully, accurately, and fairly” has returned to its previous all-time low of 40%, according to new Gallup polling.  Americans’ trust in mass media has generally been edging downward from higher levels in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. ( via Gallup)

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued on Thursday a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, urging him to take greater steps towards protecting journalistic freedom.  The letter called on the President to “issue a presidential policy directive prohibiting the hacking and surveillance of journalists and media organizations, limit aggressive prosecutions that ensnare journalists and intimidate whistleblowers, and to prevent the harassment of journalists at the U.S. border.” ( via CPJ)

Vice News editor-in-chief Jason Mojica shot down an accusation Thursday night that his news organization may have “colluded” with militants from the Islamic State, or ISIS, in order to gain access for its recent, widely praised documentary. ( via Huffington Post)

Last July, Gillian Tett, who started her job as the Financial Times’ U.S. managing editor Sept. 1, wrote about the influence Pierre Bourdieu had on her work.  Bourdieu, a French sociologist and intellectual, identified the “social silences” that can perpetuate the status quo if they’re allowed to fester… “It’s not what people talk about in public but its what they don’t talk about” that’s interesting, she said. “ I saw that up close and personal in the financial industry.” ( via Poynter)

As a reporter, would you check with the CIA before you publish articles, send them drafts, and at times even alter your pieces based on their critiques?  According to one series of emails released to The Intercept after a FOIA request to the CIA, that is just what one natural security reporter did. ( via Center for International Media Ethics)

Events

The Thomson Foundation, in partnership with the Indonesian Press Council and the Institute for Peace and Democracy, will hold the 6th Bali Media Forum Open Goals: Ethics in the information game in Nusa Dua, Bali from 8 to 10 October.