Journalists are trained to identify themselves when they approach sources for interviews.
I teach student journalists to identify themselves by their full name and publication, even when attempting to interview a source they speak to regularly and only for work.
Identifying yourself as a reporter allows the source to decide whether to consent to speak with you or not. By identifying yourself, you are indicating to the source that everything they say has potential to end up published or broadcast.
Identification is the ethical and professional standard for one-on-one interviews, but it is not the norm when a reporter documents someone speaking in public.
For example, reporters don’t walk into public meetings, shake hands with everyone in the room and introduce themselves before reporting the meeting’s happening, including quotes. They don’t deny being reporters; some people in the room may even recognize them as such (this is especially true if they are carrying a camera or with a photographer or videographer), but they don’t make an announcement of their profession.
Perhaps these professional norms are why I was so surprised to hear award-winning journalist Jacqui Banaszynski say she thinks reporters should identify themselves before live reporting at public events.
I heard Jacqui speak as part of several panels earlier this week at the Media Ethics 2011 conference at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
Attendees were encouraged to live tweet in advance of a session about the British phone hacking scandal. When the panel began, Jacqui, who also is a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, said she was uncomfortable with the idea. She said journalists should make known in public events if they are sharing online. She also said identifying yourself as a reporter who is sharing information is a matter of ethics and manners.
“I’m uncomfortable with this kind of stealth world,” she said.
I disagree that journalists should identify themselves as such before live reporting at events.
Any person can live report information from a public happening. This is a fundamental right as a citizen. Therefore, people should be careful not to say things in public that they don’t want mass disseminated, especially in today’s tech-savvy world.
Requiring journalists to identify themselves at public events as a matter of ethics suggests that we can identify who is a journalist. In the days of citizen journalists and technology that allows everyone to record happenings, anyone with worthy photos, videos or even tweets can become someone who breaks the news. Are these people journalists? Should they have identified themselves?
I was not attending the conference as a journalist, but as an educator. However, if a newsworthy event happened there, I easily could have slipped into “journalist mode” and began live reporting. Some may argue that I did live report because I tweeted the bulk of the conference. I used to be a professional journalist. I now teach journalism. Should I have identified myself as a reporter? Even I’m not sure.
Identifying yourself as a journalist each time you’re in a public realm for reporting purposes goes against the norms of our profession. We don’t do this with any other live reporting unless we are performing a one-on-one interview. I fail to see why social media coverage should be different.
Let’s Talk Nerdy!
What do you think? Should journalists identify themselves before using technology to cover a public event? Does it matter if this is breaking news online verses via social media?
emgibson says
This topic came as a surprise to me. I had never considered that I should tell someone that I was live Tweeting an event in which the public is invited. If someone is hosting an event, they should expect what is said to be public.
When I was a working journalist, I would sit through an entire meeting or event taking notes without identifying myself until I was interviewing people one on one after it was over. I don’t see much difference in how I used those notes in my stories and the act of Tweeting the event.
Most of the time I would also be recording the event, which required me to walk to the front and place my recording device onto the podium. That alerted the speakers that I was recording. But if there was no podium, I often sat near a speaker to get good audio quality. I doubt many people realized I was recording.
You summed it up so nicely in your last paragraph. I couldn’t have said it any better.
profkrg says
@emgibson I was really surprised when she mentioned this because I too have gone and covered events live and never identified myself. A public event in a public place is just that.
I wonder if other people feel this way. Do you think it’s worth revisiting ethics codes? I’m not sure, just asking.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Erin.
emgibson says
@profkrg It doesn’t seem like a rule I would be comfortable with in a policy manual. Afterall, any citizen is a potential Tweeter. And, as you pointed out, if breaking news happened at an event, everyone on Twitter would whip out their phones and start reporting away.
profkrg says
@emgibson I agree, Erin. I don’t think that journalists should have special rights, but I also don’t think they should have stricter regulation. Journalists are citizens too.
rsylvester says
I have a lot of respect for Jacqui, but I don’t think the rules necessarily change because of technology. I always introduce myself to the organizers when covering a public event, as a courtesy. But I don’t ask for permission to blog live or tweet from those events. I certainly don’t stand up and announce my presence.
Last week, I covered our governor’s energy summit. No one seemed to mind. Public events are just that. Public. Anyone may attend. All social media does is expand the ability to attend. In that way, I don’t see it as “stealth” at all. When covering the event, anyone who was tech savvy knew I was tweeting it. One of the organizers even thanked me for creating a hashtag for the summit.
Now courts are a different story. I tweet trials live, and the First Amendment isn’t absolute. Judges still have discretion, so I always ask for permission in those cases.
profkrg says
@rsylvester Thanks for providing your insight, Ron. You are by far the best at tweeting live events that I’ve seen.
It seems this is a journalistic skill that my students need to hone. Covering events in this manner is such a huge service to the people who have interest but can’t be at such events.
There is no doubt that Jacqui is an amazing resource. I just have to respectfully disagree on this point. I wondered if there was something more that I just didn’t see.
I appreciate the work you do and use your live event coverage as an example to others. Thanks again for your feedback.
BruceSallan says
Kenna, you offer such wisdom. I am so disappointed in contemporary “Journalism” that I’ve started calling it “Opinionism!” What do you say about the lack of objectivity and agendas so prevalent in MSM?
profkrg says
@BruceSallan Oh, Bruce, I would need to write a book. I will say this, though, I think television is a lot worse than newspapers.
Overall, my advice is don’t support them. It’s the classic libertarian press theory. The public will support the press with which they agree. Lack of public support (readership/viewership) results in the fall of the corporation. This may or may not be a bad thing in the end. Many media outlets may be their own worst enemies.
A lack of ethical practices and “cutting corners” in journalism is one of the reasons I wanted to become an educator. I figured that the best way to change the industry was to start with future media professionals. It’s a job I hope I do well.
Thanks for the comment, Bruce. I’m glad that you notice and care about the state of the public’s information.
AustinClarkEnnis says
This is very tough subject matter, and I seem to be caught in between. But I suppose I am more on the side of that they should identify themselves. It can help them but also if they say something incorrect can show who said it.
eayoung says
@AustinClarkEnnis I wrote the same thing Austin, I am tore in the middle. It can hurt you or help you.
eayoung says
I am tore between the two!!! Because it can help or hurt them on either side. But I think they should introduce themselves because they could gain a lot more respect of people. Especially since they are willing to let people know ahead of time who they are and their position. But yes I do feel as if there are times when someone it is breaking news, that may not be a big concern, introducing themselves.