Journalistic Ethics in the Age of Denial
Some twittering from the first workshop session at the Science Writing in the Age of Denial Conference
Workshop day at #sciencedenial #denialconf . 1st: "Journalistic ethics in age of denial" w @deborahblum @danfagin Geo. Johnson, D. Meredith- Deborah Blum lead off the conversation by asking if science journalists should be cheerleaders of science? When we write about the messy process of science and it's mistakes, do we feed into the culture of distrust?
Blum - one of the ethical questions for us, is do we feed into the cultural distrust of science? #sciencedenial #denialconf
Deborah Blum: We cover science as the human enterprise that it is - failures as well as successes #denialconf
No. Opposite. RT @tvjrennie: @deborahblum Do journos feel pressure to be cheerleaders for science in this time of denial? #denialconf- Blum: I think far too often we work from press release &abstract and don’t look at whole paper. WTF? Journalists do that? #crazy #denialconf
- George Johnson reminded everyone that the same tools of good journalism still apply.
Johnson disagrees with ever showing copy to those quoted for factcheck; does factcheck but uses other sources #denialconf
RT @tvjrennie: Johnson again emphasizes that good journos have always wrestled w complexities of science, foibles of scientists. #denialconf
Johnson: More places producing more material is just like having more sources, and you sift through them like you would today #denialconf- Dennis Meredith gave us advice on working with PIOs, how institutions are becoming their own news sources and that changes the role and requirements for the journalists:
- Meredith - have to ask where PIOs get info, from the administration? #denialconf
- .@explainresearch shows PhD Comic's irreverently accurate take on the Science News Cycle bit.ly/11FFLr #denialconf
- Meredith: Reporters should push back more against bad behavior. Report unethical behaviors to admin. Become "the Journanator"! #denialconf
- Lastly, Dan Fagin described today's journalists feeling like they are in a castle, under siege by the new media landscape in which so many non-professionals are creating and sharing news. But the "us vs them" mentality is dangerous, because journalists will lose. Instead, we need a new framework of ethics for working with the torrent of news and sources.
@danfagin says that pro-journalists can't act like we are under siege. It's a losing strategy to stay in castle #denialconf- my comment at #denialconf: "siege" is wrong metaphor bc sounds like we submit to digital hordes; best new journ = collab w new audience
- .@danfagin: "high degree of skepticism but low degree of cynicism" is only responsible path for journos in new media ecosystem #denialconf
- But both Fagin and Blum point out that their students, new journalists, don't feel under siege. They see a new media landscape creating new opportunities.
- Sigh of Relief MT @tvjrennie: @deborahblum says that new journos don't have siege mentality. Want to be part of that convo. #denialconf
Fagin - Students don't come in feeling like something's been lost. Excited that something's being created #denialconf, #sciencedenial
MT sounds like denial to me ;-) .@deborahblum says enrollment in journalism schools is rising. (Really?! Had no idea.) #denialconf- .@deborahblum: the conversation w my readers via my blog - not poss earlier in my career - makes me a better journo #denialconf
- Blum: Conversation with readers makes her a better journalist. Makes her "creak out of that old castle" and think about field #denialconf
- Then, the audience joins in the conversation:
