Who is Shaping the News?

I’m not a seasoned blogger, but here goes! The new media and ethics panel is off to a great start. Some tidbits from Katy Culver…

Potholes. Yes, potholes. Katy Culver noted a citizen tip that potholes were not being filled led to a full-on investigative story showing disadvantaged urban areas had obnoxiously infrequent road repairs compared to the more affluent neighborhoods. It kicked off similar investigations across the nation. More of a response to some earlier conference discussion, but an interesting point nonetheless.

Affairs. A colleague of Culver’s once said “I could go home and tell my wife I’m having an affair and be as transparent as possible, but I’m still having an affair.” Which is to say, while “transparency” is thrown around as an ideal in online communication, accuracy and ethics need to be up there too.

Culver believes ethics is a process; that journalists should follow a set of determined rational steps, not just “gut check” their actions. I’d like to hear more from the panel (or blog readers) on this idea; is it possible to lay out specific rational ethical processes across new media?