JOURNALISM & CRIME Where does the Journalist stand?

INTRO

• Journalists tread the line between the duty of being a citizen and an independent journalist

• Abuse of power

• Loyalties

• Sensitivity in reporting

NEWS VALUE • Seriousness

• Work under the assumption that the severity of the crime and its newsworthiness have a positive correlation.

• Unusual nature

• Breaking and entering in a school is more newsworthy than breaking and entering in a home.

• Size of community

• Car theft may be headline news for a small town but not in a large city.

• Identity of criminal/victim

• When the criminal or victim well known this elevates how newsworthy a story is.

Ingram, David. "Chapter 35: Crime Reporting Introduction." Chapter 35: Crime Reporting Introduction. The News Manual, 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS CODE OF ETHICS

• Seek the truth and report it

• Minimize harm

• Act independently

• Be accountable

SEEKING THE TRUTH

• Journalists should be honest, fair, courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting information.

• Objectivity is key in crime coverage

• Distortion of photos, quotations, official documents etc..

MINIMIZE HARM

• Journalists must treat sources, subjects, and colleagues as ethically and with respect.

• Sensitivity when using images or interviews

• Caution when naming suspects before formal charges have been filed

• Private persons expectations of privacy differ than public officials.

ACT INDEPENDENTLY

• Journalists should be free of any obligation

• The publics right to know is the only concern

• Avoid conflicts of interest

• Source schmoozing

BE ACCOUNTABLE

• Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers, and each other.

• Avoid drawing conclusions, report the truth and attribute the rest.

WRAPPING UP

• Know where you stand

• Do not sensationalize

• Be sensitive

• “You have a role to play, in providing information to counteract rumour. People will hear about crimes through casual conversations or rumour, or they may hear a siren as a police car dashes along the road; they will be only half-informed. It is your job as a journalist to tell them the truth about the rumoured crime or explain why the police car went past. If you can establish a reputation for reliability in this field, people will buy your paper or tune into your station as a way of making sure they know what is happening.”

• Ingram, David. "Chapter 35: Crime Reporting Introduction." Chapter 35: Crime Reporting Introduction. The News Manual, 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

• Ingram, David. "Chapter 35: Crime Reporting Introduction." Chapter 35: Crime Reporting Introduction. The News Manual, 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

• Knowlton & Reader