Ethics, opinions and editorialsAug. 3

What’s new and what’s news

Fault lines

Case studies on word choices and verification

First-person columns

Opinions

Editorials

Fault lines diversity tool

Concept developed by the late Robert Maynard, editor and publisher of the Oakland Tribune and founder of the Maynard Journalism Institute.

He based the tool on the earthquake fault lines criss-crossing the San Francisco Bay area. They run through every town, every rural area, every open space. They are places of friction and tension. Maynard said they were a good metaphor for the friction and tension between people.

The fault lines areRace/ethnicityEconomic classGender/sexual orientationGeneration (age)Geography

Maynard believed those were “the most enduring forces that have shaped social tension since the founding of this nation.” Today, we might addPolitical affiliationReligion

Maynard said “Society is split along five faults and we try in vain to paper them over, fill them in or pretend they aren’t there.”

He said it was crucial to recognize the differences and be aware of them in reporting and writing.

He noted most people perceive certain fault lines but have blind spots regarding others. Additionally, more than one fault line may be at work at any given time.

For example: One person may see a difference of opinion as based on age, while another may see it as a gender bias, and a third may consider it an economic issue.

Here are two examples Maynard Institute instructors use, based on real stories.A young television reporter covered a D-Day anniversary event interviewed a veteran. At the end of the interview, the following exchange took place.

Reporter: How old are you, sir?

Veteran: I’m 81 years old.

Reporter: You mean 81 years young.

Veteran: Up you’re a--!

***

What happened in this exchange? Generational and geography fault lines can be more subtle, but just as strong, as those associated with race, gender or socio-economic class.

An alternative newspaper in a diverse metropolitan city published a story about murder suspects at large in a city.

The headline: “Fugitives among us.”Under the headline the paper published photos of 15 murder suspects. They were mostly black and Hispanic males. The story stated there were 42 murder suspects at large. The paper published 27 more photos on an inside page. All were black and Hispanic. There were no white, Asian or Native American suspects listed. Nor were there women.

What are we dealing with here? How would you write this story?

Fault lines are challenges, but not impediments to writing stories. They are not excuses to water down content in the name of being “politically correct.” They are not about placing blame. They are about recognizing and acknowledging different perspectives and points of view, and recognizing words that perpetuate bias and stereotype.Writers can use the fault lines tool as a “check list” to identify perspectives in stories. We can consider the central question or issue from other points of view as we report and write. They can help writers seek new voices and perspectives and avoid bipolar reporting and writing. They can help us give a voice to the voiceless.

Think of how often you have seen “community” modified by a fault line identifier.

The senior community.The black community.The Islamic community.The gay community.

Webster’s defines community as a social group with common characteristics, but this does not mean the members think, act or speak as one. When reporting and writing, it is important to remember to seek as many voices as possible.

Maynard’s fault lines are tools to help avoid labels, biases and stereotypes. They also help us avoid making sweeping generalizations and assumptions.

We don’t want bland, lifeless stories, so watered down with inoffensive words that they lose their impact. But we do want stories that are honest, fair and balanced. The point is to present the information to the reader so the reader can make decisions or form opinions.

Let’s look at how words can shape and shade a story.Gore stump story (Washington Post)Jim West investigation lead story (Spokesman Review)

Another important element of ethics is verification, making sure what we report and write is accurate.

In the current age of anonymous sources and background informants, rushing to be first with a story and worrying about competition, validating and verifying information can be difficult. But it is vital.

Remember two of the key tenets of the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics:Seek truth and report it.Be accountable.

Equally important: Act independently.

Let’s look at a case study about verification developed by the Committee of Concerned Journalists.

There is a political scandal brewing about one of the leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The subject of the scandal is one of your state’s U.S. senators, Robert Corey.

A former friend of the senator, Norman Nelson, has alleged publicly that in college, law school and even in his first elected office, in which he served on the city council, the now-senator was a cocaine dealer.

Nelson says he knows because he bought drugs from Corey.

Nelson made the allegation on the FreedomNow.com Web site. The allegation was picked up and broadcast by Rush Limbaugh. Rich Loory, editor of National Republic magazine and Web site, said in a commentary on his Web site that he has verified that Nelson did indeed go to college with the senator, and that they were suitemates.

The senator’s staff tells you he is on vacation backpacking with his son in Montana and is, quite literally, unreachable for comment.

Nelson, a former Democrat, is now a member of the American New Militia, a survivalist militia organization.

That evening Chris Matthews’ show Hardball on MSNBC discusses the story.

E-mail on your newspaper’s Web site discusses the story.

Other chat sites are discussing the story.

The Associated Press has just come out with a short story quoting Nelson, the Web site and the “no comment” from Corey’s office. The AP story verifies that Nelson and Sen. Corey did attend college together, were suitemates, were friends and that Nelson did work on Corey’s first campaign for public office, for the local city council.

It’s 5 p.m. Friday. You’re about to have your editors’ meeting and set Page 1. What are you going to do with this story?

Editorials and opinion columns.

Editorials are unsigned opinion columns representing the view of the newspaper’s editorial board. Note, this does not include the reporters. Editorial page writers and news reporters work separately. Editorials frequently are about stories the paper has reported and published, however.

They often advocate action or thought. They can be directive in tone.

They should be written using the same standards of accuracy and attribution as the rest of the news.

Opinion columns are signed by the writer.

They often are used to present a different point of view on the editorial and opinion pages.

According to NYT editor David Shipley, editors look for “timeliness, ingenuity, strength of argument, freshness of opinion, clear writing and newsworthiness.

“Personal experiences and first-person narrative can be great, particularly when they’re in service to a larger idea. So is humor when it’s funny.”

Guidelines for writing opinion columns, from Marie Danziger, KSG communications department director.

“Opinions should be readable and engaging.” They are short, usually 750 to 800 words. The writer is limited to making a few key points.

Danziger notes that most opinion columns seem conversational, but actually have a structure. She notes they typically use analogies or anecdotes to pull in the reader, make the main points in the middle of the piece, then move to the writer’s recommendation or position.

Here are some tips for writing opinion columns

•Do your homework. Columnists must research and report the information they use.

•Imagine a real reader sitting across the table from you.

•Use your most articulate facts and statistics.

•Be specific and concrete: use real names , dates, events and places.

•Be controversial, if your column calls for such a stance, but be respectful.

Make one argument thoroughly, point by point, Shipley recommends.

He also advocates moving quickly, that is, setting a brisk pace with your writing.

Attribute your facts and supporting information.

As with other journalism, be careful of stereotype, loaded words and bias. You want your argument or position remembered as valid and worthy of consideration.

Columns are entirely different animals.

They appear on op-ed pages, region pages, lifestyle pages, sports pages. They are written in the first person. They are personal. They have a voice. They have emotion. They have a personality.

And they are very popular.

Columbia Journalism Review recently published an article noting “the hunger for personal narrative in a fragmenting world.”

Columnists offer viewpoints, share anecdotes, shed light.

And they tell stories. According to the CJR story:

“There has never been a time when people haven’t needed personal stories. We don’t want stories any less than we did 10,000 years ago. In fact, we may want them more.”

I wrote a weekly column, “Amid All This,” about raising my children and reporting in a rural community. The newspaper was small, with maybe 8,000 subscribers.Each week, I received at least 50 calls, letters or notes about the column. Some weeks, I received as many as 150. People also stopped me on the street to talk about it.

Let’s look at a few columns.

We’ll look at Charlotte Observer editor Mary C. Curtis’s column about JFK’s secret serviceman. This is a narrative history/love story, told in first person. But note the literary elements Curtis uses.

We’ll look at Andy Porter’s column about trekking through the wilderness with a bunch of environmental reporters. It’s a good example of augmenting news with humor and personal observation.

We’ll read a column by Harvard professor Dan Gilbert that ran in the NYT.

And we’ll read several editorials and columns by recently retired Roanoke Times editorial page editor Tommy Denton.