Ethics online

Kenny Smith

Student media adviser/assistant professorSamford University

www.kennysmith.orgwww.twitter.com/kennysmith

www.facebook.com/kennydsmithwww.linkedin.com/in/kennydsmith

Where do ethics come from?

FamilyCommunity

ReligionEmployer(s)

CultureSociety

Institutions

Do ethics online differ?

Yes?

No?

The benefit of an online medium

Democratizes voices

Ease of publishing

Inexpensive

The danger of the online medium

Anyone can do it

It is easy

It is inexpensive

The question of online ethics, then...

Ethics

Credibility

Verifiability

Anonymity

(Much the same as any other medium.)

An informed voice on online ethics

“The ethics of online journalism are, ultimately, no different than the ethics of journalism.”

-- Robert NilesKnight Digital Media Center

Basic qualitiesNo plagiarism

Disclose, disclose, disclose

No gifts or money for coverage

Check it out, then tell the truth

Be honest(Online Journalism Review, Knight Digital Media Center)

Transparency is key.

Credibility

“(O)nce a blogger -- or journalist or publication or friend, for that matter -- is bought and paid for, the credibility and value of their voice is reduced or ruined.

“Credibility is the cake you can’t have and eat, too.”

-- Jeff Jarvishttp://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/19/corrupting-blogs/

Jarvis adds ...

“(T)his isn’t about ethics pledges and industry policies. It’s about personal integrity, about honesty, about having a direct and open relationship of trust and credibility.”

What they mean in contextThe ethic of transparency: Making available your perspective.

The ethic of conversation: Conversation is better than a lecture.

The ethic of humanity: This medium lives at a human level while old media lives at an institutional.

The ethic of the link: One of our key jobs is to link our public to other voices and to source material so they may judge themselves.

The ethic of correction: It is vital to correct errors quickly and openly.

The ethic of immediacy: The fast spread of information will yield better information.

Practical ramifications

All of these things ...

FacebookWebsiteTwitterVideoChats

Message boardsComments

Etc

Personal Brand = Credibility

Online tips

Try new things

Try new techniques, technologies and systems

Find the value and become fluent in new trends

Do a little of everything – write, video, audio, etc

Improve your copy editing

This makes for a lifetime of learning

Someone out there will be doing it.

Someone with whom you'll compete for a job.

Someone who wants it just as badly as you.

The more you can do, the more valuable a commodity you are to your employer.

Ethics online

Kenny Smith

Student media adviser/assistant professorSamford University

www.kennysmith.orgwww.twitter.com/kennysmith

www.facebook.com/kennydsmithwww.linkedin.com/in/kennydsmith