Ethics for journalists tips on keeping bias out.

Reporting and biases how do you separate the two when it comes to reporting the information.

Important facts on keeping bias thought out of reporting. Accept that humanity has some bias rather it is conscious or nonconscious.

After accepting this please know reporters can not place any of his/her feeling or opinions into the articles in which is being reported.

Good ways and tips on trying not to place any opinions into the reported articles can be found in the society of professional journalism

This site speaks about how age does not matter in the reporting fields

Thanks to technology anyone can report anything, but the importance of reporting is to keep bias out in the articles you report.

To do this the reporter must place What they know about the subject and what they can support with data and facts. Into the article only.

Make sure that the story that is being reported meet the need of the editor who gets the final say. Make sure you have more the one source of information about the story in which is being reported.

Also if a reporter using a statement for a story feel free to research the story to make sure that person is telling the truth.

For example, if someone is saying they never did a crime but is being bland for it. double check before reporting the information.

Thes help tips can for this video listed below.

How Journalists Minimize Bias

https://players.brightcove.net/1513023957001/HyGZasuG_default/index.html?videoId=4870389538001

A curation example

On Bridgemi I was able to find an example of curation written by Chastity Pratt Dawsey and Mike Wilkinson. This particular article compared the various school stats in Michigan as opposed to other states. The two reporters highlighted an important fact; “Michigan is not getting the school it deserves.”

I feel that after reading Ron French’s story, which is also on Bridgemi, this was a poor example or perhaps a short article. Although the article had well over 18 paragraphs and only three contextualized links. As the flow of the paragraphs increased to the end of the article the three links were the only sources that were used.

The article also had related links in the middle of certain paragraphs, that could cause some confusion as you are reading. That could be an added value for citizens in the school districts that want to see similar articles on the topic or as mentioned before cause a sense of confusion to the readers.

I do like the way the few links are attributed, it is the same as what we are currently learning and prior to clicking the link you know what you’re going to potentially be seeing. Thus, it is not click bait. Although this is blog post is not about the content of the writing, I think the authors had too much opinion in the writing. This is something that we should limit as much as possible so that our biases and personal beliefs do not run interference with the facts.

Ron’s Story

Ron French wrote a curated story about Betsy DeVos, that is used as an example for journalism students to study . Within his story he uses multiple sources to create a narrative where his subsequent paragraphs all have an introduction to his sources and contextualized links.

Unlike Bestsy DeVos, he had multiple sources included in his article. One source is from National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). This source includes how Michigan schools compare in subjects like math and reading as opposed to other schools.

Another great source Ron French used in this article besides Bridgemi.com is Professor Brian A. Jacob who is the professor of education policy, professor of economics and professor of education at the University of Michigan. This professor created an analysis that researched testing scores that have declined over the last 12 years.

The way he uses contextualized links as a way to introduce articles and people is nothing short of genius. He gives a quick summary of the points that are the main focus of the linking article and person. Rather than simply saying “click here” as if click bait, he uses phrases in the sentences to link. In my opinion this also helps the audience understand what they are going to be reading about.

Overall, Ron French made great use of curation techniques within his story that enables the audience to read through the article seamlessly, all while being able to check his sources to ensure they are facts and not speculation.

Biases in journalism

We all have biases! Even journalists they are human too.

What does a journalist do?

A journalist makes a difference in peoples’ lives. They uncover the truth and explain the complex issues in a way that anyone can understand. They help people make decisions about their lives, their values, their beliefs.

It is truthful and minimizes harm. It is free of conflicts of interest. It is accurate, clear, fair, thorough and transparent.

Journalists Should:

Be responsible for their work.
Provide context and take time to promote the story.
Gather the correct/updated information
Identify sources clearly
Support the open and civil exchange of views.
Provide access to source materials when it is appropriate.

What is a good lead?

A good lead needs to answer these questions.Who does the story involve? What is the story about? When did the event occur? Where did the event occur? Why did they write a news story about this event? How did it come to be?

The news story I choose appeared on the clickondetroit.com headline: Garden City High School on lockdown after bullet found in school

My news lead answers the who, what, where in the news lead. It drew me in just due to the topic of the lead. The article contains when it occurred and why. It also has how it ended and how it came to be an issue. When an article was googled many pictures and other leads/articles were posted too. I would say this news story was well written and had a good lead because it answered many of the w’s of journalism.