SOCIAL

MEDIA

ETHICS

FIRST PRESENTED AT SPJ REGIONAL CONFERENCE IN SALT LAKE CITY,

MARCH 2014

NATALIE WARDEL, @NATALIEWARDEL

JOURNALISTS USE

SOCIAL MEDIA TO:

monitor

source

verify

network

publish &

promote

UCLA STUDY ON WHAT

MAKES IDEAS SPREAD "As soon as you hear a good joke, you think, 'Who can I tell this to and who can't I tell?' Making this judgment will activate these two brain regions. If we're playing poker and I'm trying to figure out if you're bluffing, that's going to invoke this network. And when I see someone on Capitol Hill testifying and I'm thinking whether they are lying or telling the truth, that's going to invoke these two brain regions.

"Good ideas turn on the metalizing system," he said. "They make us want to tell other people."

QUIZ

FIRST SLIDE: QUESTION

SECOND SLIDE: ANSWER

WHAT ARE ETHICS?

ETHICS

Ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human

beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find

themselves-as friends, parents, children, citizens, business,

people, teachers, professionals, and so on.

DO YOU HAVE A RIGHT

TO PRIVACY ONLINE?

DO YOU HAVE A RIGHT

TO PRIVACY ONLINE?

Answer: Yes.

Unless you are a public persona, you have a reasonable

expectation of privacy.

If you have a right to privacy, other people do too.

DOES “THIS IS ME, NOT

MY EMPLOYER” COVER

YOUR OPINIONS ON

TWITTER?

DOES “THIS IS ME, NOT

MY EMPLOYER” COVER

YOUR OPINIONS ON

TWITTER?

Twitter disclaimers won’t save you when questionable social

media use gets you in hot water at work.

Disclaimers don’t have any legal effect. It’s not going to

prevent your employer from firing you if you say something

that reflects badly, and it’s not going to prevent people from

associating your views with your employer.

Better policy: If you wouldn’t put your byline next to it, don’t

say it on social media.

CAN YOU USE IMAGES

YOU FIND ONLINE FOR

YOUR FACEBOOK

PROFILE PICTURE?

CAN YOU USE IMAGES

YOU FIND ONLINE FOR

AN ARTICLE YOU ARE

WRITING?

CAN YOU USE IMAGES

YOU FIND ONLINE FOR A

VIDEO?

CAN YOU USE IMAGES

YOU FIND ONLINE?

Answer: Not so fast.

Get permission if its user generated

Find out what licenses you have for photos you are using

(i.e. do your AP photos include social rights?)

Or go to creative commons

DO YOU HAVE FIRST

AMENDMENT RIGHTS

ONLINE?

DO YOU HAVE FIRST

AMENDMENT RIGHTS

ONLINE?

The government can violate your first amendment rights, a

corporation or person cannot.

• i.e. a comment being removed from a public Facebook page

or website is not violating First amendment rights.

SHOULD YOU TWEET

INFO YOU HEAR ON THE

SCANNER?

SHOULD YOU TWEET

INFO YOU HEAR ON THE

SCANNER?

Think before you tweet. Is it confirmed? Will it spread rumor?

Would you go on air or print the information?

Knowledge is power and with it comes great responsibility.