Issues, We Have Issues!

1
Issues, We Have Issues!

• 1.Anonymity
• 2. Balance
• 3. Correct grammar
• 4. Correcting mistakes
• 5.Expressing opinion, or what about my free
  speech?
• 6. Labels
• 7. Loaded language
• 8. Offensive language/images
• 9. Social Media
• 10. Taking down stories

2
A small disclaimer

• Note This package was created for a PRINDI
  webinar. Its a bit like a blog and a bit like
  notes for discussion. Suggestion treat each
  topic as a starting point for conversations.
  Theres much more that could be said about each
  point.
• Also If you see some typos, please forgive me. I
  didnt run this through a copy desk.
• Mark Memmott

3
Anonymity

• It comes up most often when were dealing with
  government officials.
• "U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of
  anonymity while the transfer mission was
  underway, said the five were first flown from the
  base in a C-17 Monday but the pilot circled back
  about 90 minutes later because of mechanical
  problems." (The Two-Way)
• Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who reportedly had been
  communicating mostly through written notes
  because his injuries make talking difficult or
  nearly impossible, immediately stopped
  cooperating after a magistrate judge and a
  representative from the U.S. Attorney's office
  entered his hospital room and gave him his
  Miranda warning, according to four officials of
  both political parties briefed on the
  interrogation. They insisted on anonymity because
  the briefing was private. (The Two-Way)
• Those are relatively easy to arbitrate Is the
  information essential? Does the speaker have an
  agenda? How reliable is the source? Do we have
  other confirmation?
• But increasingly, the issue comes up because of
  privacy concerns and the reality that once
  something is posted on the Web, it's there
  forever.
• Health issues are often involved, as are minors.
  Safety can be a consideration, particularly when
  dealing with very vulnerable individuals as we
  were
• Here, with how to ID a woman who had been the
  target of domestic abuse.
• Here, with how to ID a woman who cannot feel
  fear.
• It is always advisable to give listeners and
  readers a good explanation for why someone is not
  being fully identified, as Invisibilia did
• "In a sea of emotions, her brain had subtracted
  just one, which brings me to the reason why we
  are using SM instead of the woman's real name
  because, as you might imagine, being without fear
  is dangerous.
• Our guidance

4
Balance

• An issue most associated with our political
  coverage, where we aim to reflect the other
  side's view.
• Where it gets sticky is when "balance" could
  actually skew a story.
• For instance, should every report about climate
  change include a lengthy discussion of skeptics'
  views even though the vast majority of scientists
  agree and the data continue to accumulate? No. In
  fact, it's our job to make sense of the evidence,
  as we did here
• Get This Warming Planet Can Mean More Snow
• A key point from our guidance
• "When we say our reporting is complete, it means
  we understand the bigger picture of a story
  which facts are most important and how they
  relate to one another. Its unrealistic to expect
  that every story should represent every
  perspective on an issue. But in our reporting, we
  must do our best to be aware of all perspectives,
  the facts supporting or opposing each, and the
  different groups of stakeholders affected by the
  issue. Only then can we determine whats best to
  include in the time and space we have."

5
Correct grammar

• Speaking of balance, we aim to be clear, concise
  and accurate. Those goals mean we must choose the
  right words and then use them correctly.
• But we also want to "sound like America," be
  conversational and not seem stodgy. That's where
  the issue of balance comes in.
• Planet Money, obviously, doesn't sound or read
  like the "typical" NPR show.
• Neither does Invisibilia.
• We do get some complaints about usages by those
  platforms and others that strike listeners as too
  "common." For
• Starting sentences with "so.
• Or perhaps for leaning on "imagined elegance."
• But we hear even more often about our grammatical
  mistakes, such as confusing lay and lie.
• The best guidance Be clear, be imaginative, but
  be correct.
•  
• See Dan Charles' "Of Carrots And Kids Healthy
  School Lunches That Don't Get Tossed."

6
Correcting mistakes

• We work hard to get things right the first time.
  But everyone makes mistakes. We owe it to
  listeners and readers to correct factual errors
  and clarify significant misimpressions.
• A read through our corrections page reveals a lot
  about the kinds of mistakes we make and our
  commitment to correcting them.
• There is a tension, of course, between
  journalists' pride in their work and their
  willingness to admit when they're wrong. Newsroom
  managers face a tricky issue How to both
  discourage mistakes and encourage staffers to
  admit to them when they happen.
• Our view Mistakes are bad. Not acknowledging
  them is even worse. We post about errors that may
  even be "arguable"
• "Latino" vs. "latina."
• "Eucharistic minister," not "deacon."
• And of course we post about the things that are
  obviously wrong
• China's population isnt 1.4 million.
• It was Mario, not Andrew Cuomo.
• Related point Accuracy checklists are a good
  idea. Were in the process of updating our own.
  Meanwhile, heres our guidance on their value and
  some of the key points that should be on them.

7
Expressing opinion, or what about my free
speech?

• Can I go to the march/put up a sign/slap on a
  bumper sticker/sign a petition?
• Reminder We Can Observe, But We Dont
  Participate In Rallies
• Our specific guidance is here, and the key point
  is this
• "We refrain from actively participating in
  marches, rallies or public events involving
  political issues or partisan causes that our
  organization covers or may cover. Of course, the
  distinction between being a participant and being
  an observer can be subtle. But waving a picket
  sign or joining along in a cheer would be
  inappropriate. Again, we rely on your good
  judgment. Since the nature of each event differs,
  its wise to discuss these matters ahead of time
  with supervisors to figure out where ethical
  pressure points may exist or emerge. If attending
  such an event as an observer, take care in
  behavior, comments, attire and physical location
  not to reflect a participatory role."
•  
• Its often a good idea to apply the "would you
  say it on the air?" test
• "In appearing on TV or other media including
  electronic Web-based forums, we should not
  express views we would not air in our roles as
  NPR journalists. We avoid participating in shows,
  forums, or other venues that encourage punditry
  and speculation rather than fact-based analysis.
• Another way to sum it all up
• Dont sign, dont advocate, dont donate.

8
Labels

• This is coming up more and more often, often in
  ways we dont anticipate.
• People with various medical conditions, their
  families and friends take offense at being
  labeled. Instead of being referred to as an
  "autistic child," for example, they ask that the
  phrase "child with autism" be used. People with
  schizophrenia object to being called
  schizophrenics (side note they are also
  sensitive about use of the word schizophrenic in
  other contexts). "She is being treated for
  anorexia" is preferred over "she's an anorexic."
  "He is diabetic" is favored over "he is a
  diabetic.
• The issue is this People get insulted if you
  reduce them to one label. They say "I'm not just
  a diabetic. I am a father/mother, brother/sister,
  teacher/lawyer, etc. You've labeled me."
• That's why we recommend using action words.
• Whats more, in news reports labels can be
  misleading -- even when the words are
  grammatically correct. For example, we advised
  against referring to Michael Brown simply as a
  "teenager."
• Yes, he was 18 and that word ends with "teen."
  But, like the AP, we believe that 18-year-olds in
  America have entered adulthood. They can vote.
  They can join the military. They can drive. They
  can live on their own. The word "teenager," in
  many listeners and readers minds, brings up the
  image of someone younger.
• The better practice, again, is to avoid the
  label. Just simply say he was "18-year-old
  Michael Brown" or "Michael Brown, 18.
• This came up just this week with a question about
  whether we should avoid saying "same-sex
  marriage" because some who have been advocating
  for that right believe there's only "marriage,"
  same-sex or otherwise. They see "same-sex" as a
  label being attached to "marriage." Here, the
  issue of avoiding labels comes up against making
  sure the listeners understand what you're talking
  about. The phrase may still need to be used --
  though it also may be just as easy in many cases
  to refer to "marriages by same-sex couples" or
  other more active language.

9
Loaded language

• This is something of a cousin to the "labels"
  issue. Loaded language is a recurring problem.
• Advocates on one side want the news media to use
  phrases such as "illegal immigrants" or "illegal
  aliens." Advocates on the other side want us to
  say "undocumented immigrants" or "unauthorized
  immigrants."
• "Enhanced interrogation methods" or "torture?"
  That debate has been raging for a decade.
• One person's "reform" is another's "disaster."
• Our thinking begins with the premise that when
  language is "politicized," we look for "neutral
  words that foster understanding."
• We aim to "take the time to explain to our
  audience how certain words or phrases have taken
  on politically loaded meanings" and use a few
  more words -- again, we're talking about "action"
  words vs. labels -- to make things clear. That's
  why we say "clinics that perform abortions"
  instead of "abortion clinics."

10
Offensive language/images

• Why Youre Not Seeing Those Charlie Hebdo
  Cartoons
• A Word About The Name Of Washingtons Football
  Team
• NPRs Policy On Use Of Potentially Offensive
  Language begins with this
• NPR has always set a high bar on use of language
  that may be offensive to our audience. Use of
  such language on the air has been strictly
  limited to situations where it is absolutely
  integral to the meaning and spirit of the story
  being told.

11
Social media

• Our guiding principle
• The Internet and the social media communities it
  encompasses can be incredible resources. They
  offer both a remarkably robust amount of
  historical material and an incredible amount of
  real-time reporting from people at the scenes
  of breaking news events. But they also present
  new and unfamiliar challenges, and they tend to
  amplify the effects of any ethical misjudgments
  you might make. So tread carefully. Conduct
  yourself online just as you would in any other
  public circumstances as an NPR journalist. Treat
  those you encounter online with fairness, honesty
  and respect, just as you would offline.
  Verify information before passing it along. Be
  honest about your intent when reporting. Avoid
  actions that might discredit your professional
  impartiality. And always remember, you represent
  NPR.
• Bottomline Think before you tweet.
• Also, use social media to share information not
  just your opinions. We want people to trust NPR
  to give them the information they need, no matter
  what platform.

12
Taking down stories

• How to explain why we don't
• We are guided by a newsroom policy that says it
  is inappropriate to remove content from our
  Website. If a report is inaccurate, we will
  correct it and state why it has been altered. If
  relevant new information emerges, we will update
  or do a follow-up story. But our content is a
  matter of public record and is part of our
  contract with our audience. To simply remove it
  from the archive diminishes transparency and
  trust and, in effect, erases history. This is not
  a practice engaged in by credible news
  organizations or in line with ethical
  journalism.
• We also have guidance from correspondents on what
  to say to people before we interview them in
  order to cut down on the chances for take-down
  requests later. The most important thing to tell
  them is that what they tell us wont just be on
  the radio once and then go off into the ether.
  Stories live on the Web and can trail them for
  years or decades. Might that scare some people
  and make them less likely to speak with us? Yes.
  But we respect the people we encounter. We owe
  them that explanation.

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• Contact
• Mark Memmott
• NPR Standards Practices editor
• 202-513-3554
• mmemmott_at_npr.org
• On Facebook if youre interested, theres an
  NPR standards and practices closed group. Its
  for NPR member station news directors and
  journalists to share thoughts and information.