Recent news coverage of the missing Malaysian airlines flight has led some to question the media’s role in the crisis. Although ample coverage of the missing plan exists, it’s still unclear exactly what happened to …
Journalist charged with hacking says information was legally obtained
Although journalists are sometimes sued for libel, or perhaps failing to disclose sources in an investigation, some now face a much newer accusation: illegal hacking. Two companies, TerraCom Inc. and YourTel America recently threatened to …
Documentaries: Journalism but not necessarily unbiased journalism
In general, documentaries’ have evolved as a distinguished genre and separated themselves from more entertainment-oriented Hollywood movies through a foundation of unbiased, fact-based journalism. However, documentaries that advocate for a specific cause do not always present an …
Getty Images changes the game by allowing free non-commercial use of some 35 million images
Reporting for the British Journal of Photography, Olivier Laurent details how Getty Images is introducing a game-changing policy that allows free non-commercial use for a large portion of its digital photography library: The controversial move is …
Olympians have sponsors write social media posts
Multiple reports surfaced last week that sponsors may be writing some of the Olympians social media posts, working with their managers and publicists to craft messages from the athletes’ personal accounts. Reps for figure skating …
Wisconsin public official blurs line between journalist and politician
Dodgeville, Wis. Mayor, Todd Novak, has worked for the local Dodgeville Chronicle for the past 24 years–and now he’s running for the state Assembly. Chris Rickert, writing for the Wisconsin State Journal, cautioned, if Novak …
Making yourself the Story: American Journalists and the 2014 Olympic games
Although the Olympics are supposed to be all about international sportsmanship, for many journalists, the games often become a critique of the host country’s politics. During Beijing’s 2008 games, journalists wrote about China’s human rights …
Publishing classified information leads to search of reporter’s private email account
U.S. authorities used an affidavit as legal means to search a journalist’s private emails after he published classified national defense information. The U.S. state department official who gave the information to the journalist will likely …
In Chicago, journalists bring closure to a ten year old murder case in shadow of political influence
Political influence is no stranger to Chicago. The city exemplified machine-style politics for decades, and its difficult to argue Illinois hasn’t seen a poor leader or two in state government. Yet the 2004 murder of …
Do data robots need their own set of ethics?
Google recently acquired DeepMind for $400 million and will incorporate the London-based artificial intelligence startup’s team and software into Google’s search team, now known as the “Knowledge” group. This is an especially vital development for …