online media accountability instruments part 1 - within the newsroom

Online media accountability instrumentsPart 1 - Within the newsroom

Session No. 9

Photo: imago/ecomedia/robert fishman

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2July 2013Session 9 - Online media

accountability instruments (1. Within the newsroom )

How are the opportunities offered by the internetbeing employed by news organisationsto foster media accountability online?

What are the practical implicationsfor online news practices of the opportunities offered by

online accountability instruments?

Key questions



ONLINE MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY INSTRUMENTS (OMAI)Practices - applied tools, spaces and initiatives - that use the internet to monitor, evaluate and make transparent the work of professional journalists.

Q: What are the forms of online MAI? Who? What? How?

INNOVATIONS ONLINEPractices specifically designed for the internet that improve media accountability processes and/or facilitate them in ways previously impracticable or inconceivable.

Q: What is ‘new’ about them? Usability, popularity, efficacy?

Key definitions/concepts



Main context variables

• Incentives for media accountability: legitimacy and responsiveness of the news media.

• Internet penetration and user cultures: critical mass of producers and audiences for debates over media performance.



Media accountability - personal and professional

Journalists feel most responsibleto their consciences.

Source: MediaAcT survey of 1,762 journalists in 14 countries

A variety of mechanisms exist within the workplace which can assist media professionals to hold each other to account and remain trustworthy, credible, and true to formal codes of ethics.



Internal accountability systems – newsroom debate

Rolling news deadline pressure and scarcity of time reduces opportunities for (lengthy) newsroom discussion and debate.

Time could and should be made for staff to discuss problematic issues, preferably prior to publication.

In the MediaAcT survey, only 32% of journalists agreed that managers encourage newsroom debate about quality issues.

63% thought they would not be called in by editors if the integrity of their work was challenged by members of the public.



Internal accountability systems

Allow users opportunities to participate in news production.Explain news decision processes in a blog.

Provide links to the original sources of a journalistic piece.Employ an ombudsman/readers editor.

Provide online opportunities to communicate directly with journalists.Publish its mission statement.

Respond to users' comments/suggestions.Publish a code of ethics.

Provide a contact for complaints about content.Disclose ownership or political affiliations (if any).

2.82

3.22

3.46

3.63

3.66

3.71

3.86

3.93

4.21

4.22

News outlets should...(Scale: 1=I don't support; 5=I fully support)

Source: Mean scores from MediaAcT survey of journalists from 14 countries



Professional help mates

Many media professionals belong to trades unions and other professional associations which at least play lip service to Codes of Ethics, and have a vested interest in maintaining the good name of journalism.

Press Freedom organizations and Press Clubs also provide space in which ethical issues and examples of professional misconduct can be discussed.



1. Actor transparencyPractices that help in making media organizations and

journalists more transparent to their publics:

• Published mission statement• Published code of ethics• Profiles of journalists• Public information on company ownership• Authorship stated of each story (byline)

Online media accountability as a process

2. Production transparencyPractices that help in making more transparent how news

stories were produced.

3. Product transparencyPractices that help in making more transparent the content of

news stories (sources).

• Precise references and/or links to sources in stories• Journalists' personal blogs discussing production• Newsroom blogs discussing production• Strategies for collaborative story writing with citizens

(wiki or other)

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Session 9 - Online media accountability instruments (1. Within

the newsroom )

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4. ResponsivenessPractices that let the public offer feedback to the media

company and obtain a response.

• Ombudsperson with online presence• Comments on news articles• Button to report errors in stories• Twitter accounts• Facebook accounts



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July 2013Session 9 - Online media


Actor transparency: Profiles of journalists

B92 (Serbia) & PRW (Poland)

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Actor transparency: Through social media

Official Facebook profile: Tomasz BonekEditor-in-Chief, Money.pl (Poland)

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It is important for readers to see in detail what kind of professional background an author has, when he is reporting on a big economic scandal. Does he really have business acumen from his education or through other experiences? Thomas Mrazek, journalist, blogger and head of the online unit of the German Journalists’ Union (DJV) (http://netzjournalist.twoday.net)

Naming authors and showing them to users is important for reasons of branding of a journalistic product. This will create a stronger bond between journalists and audience. The name of a paper is a brand and the name of a well-known editor a sub-brand.Robin Meyer-Lucht, media blogger and director of the Berlin Institute, a media consultancy and research institute (http://www.berlin-institute.de)

Published mission statements, codes of ethics, profiles of journalists, public information on company ownership to be all vital as part of fostering a contract of trust between media outlet and consumer. Regular correction columns and independent ombudsmen are vital aspects of trust as well. It helps media to be accountable and to be seen to be accountable. People need quick access to these documents and to be able to reproduce and refer to them.Phil Chamberlain, UK investigative journalist & blogger (http://takingoutthetrash.typepad.co.uk/)

Actor transparency: Experts’ voices

http://netzjournalist.twoday.net/

http://www.berlin-institute.de/

http://takingoutthetrash.typepad.co.uk/

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Production transparency: Bylines (authorship)

Story bylines in online version of The Guardian (UK)

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Production transparency:Newsroom blogs discussing production

The Editor’s Blog at bbc.co.uk (UK)

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When a journalist receives feedback from outside the newsroom, this leads to an improvement of the product. In ‘process journalism’ the contents are developed in cooperation with the audience.Klaus Meier, Professor for Journalism Studies at the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (www.klaus-meier.net)

[Production transparency] can explain how decisions are reached and why they were reached so consumers know the rationale behind them. It can explain dilemmas for journalists e.g., whether to make certain things public or to keep certain details out of the public domain, what stories to cover, what stories not to cover, what techniques are acceptable in order to get a story (e.g., whether entrapment is legitimate or not) and so on... the internet helps with this transparency by providing a location in which media are more than just their ultimate product.Phil Chamberlain, UK investigative journalist & blogger (http://takingoutthetrash.typepad.co.uk/)

Production transparency: Experts’ voices

http://www.klaus-meier.net/

http://takingoutthetrash.typepad.co.uk/

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Responsiveness: Correction buttons and forms

Correction button & correction form – elmundo.es (Spain)

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Responsiveness: Ombudsman

Profile of Washington Post Ombudsman Patrick B. Paxton

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Responsiveness and social media

Examples of news platforms and social media integration Le Monde (France) & De Telegraaf (The Netherlands)

“...the presence of an active and engaged news public can and should be an integral part of the news process particularly in an age of reduced budgets for fact-checking and copy-editing.” (Joseph 2011: 712)

Most media outlets allow and encourage their publics to comment about or aggregate news stories through online comment sections.

Most require people to register before being able to add comments.

However, there is nothing to stop people using false identities or simply add facetious, ill-informed, or spurious remarks.

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the newsroom )

Comments / Have your say

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the newsroom )

Comment moderation

Comments appended to news stories may form a type of ‘accountability’. They may also ‘add value’ to a story by offering fresh information. But they are more likely to be used to express opinions.

If comments are ‘moderated’ before publication, the publishers could be held legally responsible for what appears.

Unmoderated comment slots allow scope for abuse. Offensive comments may be removed in accordance with an agreed (published) code of behaviour.

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Journalists consider themselves to be in a more prominent expert position than the readers: We explain the world to you. In this frame of mind it is impossible for journalists to be liable to errors. Often journalists are not the real experts in certain fields and in every detail. In those cases, they should gratefully accept legitimate criticism and publicly thank for that. By correcting mistakes, quality and credibility will improve.Ulrike Langer, media journalist and blogger (http://medialdigital.de)

[Responsiveness] is vital, although it’s also important that the newspaper gives reporters time to engage. Many newspapers provide email addresses of journalists, but it is not always easy to get a response, especially when your comment is critical. Although journalists might regard it as a hassle, it’s very important as it helps build trust, and acts as an initial watchdog.Jamie Thunder, media blogger (Exclarotive)

Responsiveness: Experts’ voices

http://medialdigital.de/

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Journalists’ points of view

Source: Mean scores from MediaAcT survey of journalists from 14 countries

Viewers' associationsNGOs/Foundations

Journalism trade journalsBlogs about the media, written by members of the public

Print or broadcast satire/comedy about the mediaIn-house media blog

Ombudsman/Readers' editorAcademic analysis of journalism

Online media criticism by journalist bloggersCriticism on social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

Regulatory authorityMedia criticism in the news media

User commentsPress council

Legal department/media lawyerProfessional codes of ethics

Journalism educationLaws regulating the media

Company editorial guidelines

2.072.152.222.252.282.282.32

2.472.48

2.612.702.73

2.842.962.99

3.443.35

3.703.74

Which has the most impact on journalists' behaviour?

(Scale: 1=no impact; 5=very high impact)

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Bardoel, J. & L. d’Haenens, L. 2004. Media responsibility and accountability: New conceptualizations and practices. Communications 29: 5–25.

Bichler, K., H. Harro-Loit, M. Karmasin, and D. Kraus. 2012. Best Practice Guidebook MediaAct Workingpaper No. 14/2012.

Heikkilä, H., D. Domingo, J. Pies, M. Glowacki, M. Kuś & O. Baisnée. 2012. Media Accountability Goes Online. A transnational study on emerging practices and innovations. MediaAct Workingpaper No. 14/2012.

References/Readings

online media accountability instruments part 1 - within the newsroom

Documents

news media

newsroom session

media performance

forms of online mai

lengthy newsroom discussion

mediaact survey of journalists

professional associations

ethical issues