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prior review statements
because they are different in
intent and application.
Once the staff has dealt these
overriding concepts, it is time
to deal with specifics, which,
in many cases involves an
increased or more varied use
of social media.
FOCUS ON ETHICAL AND
PROCESS GUIDELINES FOR
SOCIAL MEDIA USE
• Decide which digital
apps and tools best help
you journalistically fulfill
your mission. These tools
seem to multiply daily and
beg to be tried out. They
engage audiences and can
contribute to student media
missions and goals as well
successfully support policies.
Experiment with them to
see if they enhance your
journalistic products and
critique them carefully. Use
the ones that most closely
align with mission and goals,
and then keep an eye out
for new, useful tools. Read
evaluations of them, but
always keep journalistic
Best Practices as your
primary guide.
Resources:
• University of Missouri Libraries Social Media Tools (this is from April 15,
2016, so it may be old already…)
• Check out models of social
media ethical codes to see if
other, especially commercial,
journalism groups have
codes student media can
adapt. Search for codes
suggested by journalism
groups using new digital
tools, like Drones or Virtual
Reality.
Resources:
• Codes of ethics resources
NSPA Student Code of Ethics
• JEA Adviser Code of Ethics
• Establish the principles
of verification, accuracy,
credibility, context,
completeness and guides
for your reporting and
coverage. Develop consistent
staff manual procedures
that line up with ethical
guidelines for all student
media. Think through how
to deal with crowdsourced
images and information,
how to post information that
gives your audience enough
of the back story and when
to post a breaking story so
you are reasonably sure the
facts are right.
Resources:
• Best practices for social media
verification
DO NOT OVERLOOK
ETHICAL PRACTICES FOR
PRINT AND ONLINE
• Create a process for
handling comments. In
print, the process is simple:
letter writers use their names
and other identification as
needed. The length of the
comment can be specified,
as can whether the author
can remain unnamed.
Online, there are basically
two approaches for
moderating comments:
post first, and then
take comments down if
student editors find them
inappropriate; or, moderate
first, and then only post
those that meet their needs.
A third option would be to
not allow comments.
If student online media
choose to include comments,
they need to create
guidelines for acceptance
and publication. Acceptable
forms of author identification
could include real names
or Facebook account
registration. They also could
Candace Perkins
Bowen
Candace Perkins Bowen,
MJE, is an associate
professor in Kent State’s
School of Journalism and
Mass Communication and
director of both the Center
for Scholastic Journalism
and the Ohio Scholastic
Media Association. A
former Dow Jones News
Fund Journalism Teacher
of the Year, she has served
as the president of the
Journalism Education
Association. She is part
of the Student Press
Law Center’s Steering
Committee for its Advisory
Council and past head of
the Scholastic Journalism
Division of AEJMC