Upholding and Updating Ethical Standards, an ethics seminar for newsrooms

Be sure that your news staff understands your ethical standards and is prepared to apply them in the difficult decisions of daily journalism, both online and in print. Upholding and Updating Ethical Standardsis an API Tailored Program, supported by a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, to help U.S. newsrooms develop, clarify, teach and apply ethical standards.

In a two-day seminar your newsroom staff will discuss a range of issues facing your staff and the news industry. The seminar will include sessions on the use of confidential sources and editors' role in upholding standards. One session will involve readers, giving your staff a chance to learn how readers view ethical issues. Other sessions will address issues you choose from a wide range of options, including:

• accuracy


• attribution


• blogs


• cheating


• datelines


• digital visual journalism


• diversity


• fabrication


• ideology


• online edition standards


• photographic ethics


• plagiarism


• privacy


• social networking


• tape recording


• undercover reporting


• user-generated content


• verification


• victims

Costs: The grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation pays most of the cost of the seminar. Host newspapers will pay a sliding fee based on circulation: $1,000 for newspapers smaller than 50,000 daily circulation; $1,500 for newspapers from 50,001 to 100,000 and $2,000 for newspapers over 100,000 circulation. Host newspapers also pay for the lodging and meals of discussion leaders and for photocopies of handouts for the seminars.

Arranging a seminar: To schedule an Upholding and Updating Ethical Standards seminar for your newsroom, call (703-715-3321) or e-mail Elaine Clisham.