This letter was drafted at the end of May but was not published. However, the policies, guidelines and concerns addressed in the open letter still hold true for the 2020-2021 staff of The Lantern.
To understand the context around the letter, please review the following articles:
Ohio State students join protests over George Floyd’s death (May 28, 2020)
Ohio State students join third day of protests (May 30, 2020)
North High Street area near campus damaged amid Columbus protests (May 31, 2020)
An open letter to our readers,
These past three days, protesters have gathered at the Ohio Statehouse to protest the deaths of black Americans and the injustice that takes place every day, every hour and every minute across the country.
These past three days of demonstrations in Columbus, Ohio, have seen protesters pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed, shot at by police using wooden projectiles, and detained or arrested.
These past three days, our reporters and editors have been covering our community in Columbus and at Ohio State. We have been at the very front of the protests, standing along the police lines. We have gagged and heaved as clouds of tear gas lingered in the air or as streams of pepper spray were shot into our faces.
Throughout this, we have been a vital resource for many in the Columbus community and beyond.
Although the next days, weeks and months may be unknown, we will be right there beside all of you, documenting and reporting on these historical events.
Because we ask for transparency and accountability from those whom we report on, it is only fair to be as transparent as possible with our reporting.
Included at the end of this open letter is our reporting practices and conventions we used to report on the Columbus demonstrations. We have also answered several common questions we have been asked about our reporting methods. We hope this not only helps our community better understand our reporting but also opens a discussion among other media organizations, including student newspapers, on how best to report on demonstrations in an ever-changing world.
As we continue to cover the protests — and whenever we cover difficult and dangerous situations — please remember that, although it is of utmost importance for us to report accurately, impartially and diligently on what matters to the Ohio State community, our top priority has been and always will be ensuring the physical and mental health and safety of our staff. If caught between breaking a story and a reporter or editor’s life, we will choose our staff every time.
The Lantern is the independent student voice of Ohio State, and as such we are constantly learning how to better our reporting skills as journalism students. So, we welcome your criticism, comments and concerns. We can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 614-292-5721. During this time, however, we have a limited amount of time available and may not be able to respond to each person or in a timely manner.
We hear you,
The Lantern Staff
First things first
We wanted to share with you the ethical guideline that directs most journalists, at least in the United States.
It’s called the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. You can read the full code of ethics here but we wanted to highlight a few sections that we believe are most relevant to our coverage of the demonstrations.
Journalists should, first and always, serve the public and be a voice to the voiceless while being considerate of reporters’ biases and privilege. Journalists should also act independently from editorial controls, such as a university or government.
Journalists should seek the truth and report it. We take responsibility for the accuracy of our work and verify and corroborate information before releasing it. This almost always takes more time than the alternative but it is far more responsible than the alternative. We will avoid oversimplification or misrepresenting something because of brevity. We will gather, update and correct information over the life of a news story. So that the public can judge the reliability and motivations of the sources we use, we will provide as much context and information as possible. We will allow those who face criticisms or allegations of wrongdoing to comment for our stories. And we will vigilantly and courageously hold those with power to account while giving voice to the voiceless.
- Boldly tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience. Seek sources whose voices we seldom hear.
- Avoid stereotyping. Journalists should examine the ways their values and experiences may shape their reporting.
- Never deliberately distort facts or context, including visual information. Clearly label illustrations and re-enactments.
Minimize Harm
Journalists should:
- Balance the public’s need for information against potential harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness.
- Show compassion for those who may be affected by news coverage. Consider cultural differences in approach and treatment.
- Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity, even if others do.
- Consider the long-term implications of the extended reach and permanence of publication. Provide updated and more complete information as appropriate.
In addition, our ethical code demands us to be accountable and transparent. We take full responsibility for our reporting and we hope to explain our ethical decisions we faced during protests in the following part of this letter.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why do you not blur or cover the faces of protesters in your photos and videos?
We understand the concerns people have over protesters’ identities. Demonstrators are in a public space and as such are subject to being recorded by anyone at any time. However, in the past, protesters have been subject to arrest, harassment or other harm as a result of being identified. As a news organization, however, we cannot comply with requests to cover protesters’ faces or otherwise modify our multimedia or reporting of any kind. It is unethical to manipulate our photos or videos in any way and especially to edit in a way that obscures the truth. Moreso, in an age of digital manipulation and disinformation that has spread faster than ever before, if we covered the faces of protesters, we would set a dangerous precedent in our field.
Keep in mind we’re also documenting history. At The Lantern, we often use our archives to pull context for contemporary stories because we can often establish a trend or discover new insights that have yet to be reported. Our archives are also available for free and publicly accessible, so future researchers doing work related to social movements could be seeing a distorted view, because we, quite frankly, edited history. This is also related to our policies on anonymous sources, you can view those guidelines here.
We are hearing *event/rumor* is happening, why aren’t you reporting on it?
If you have heard a rumor, chances are we have heard it too. We are tracking all coverage of the protests, including social media posts from people in and around Columbus. However, we cannot report on things we cannot verify. Reporting unfounded claims would compromise the integrity of our news organization. We are not ignoring nor are we suppressing information. We strive to provide the most accurate news, and in order to do that, we must take the time to find objective evidence of all claims and rumors.
For example, the claim that Columbus Police officers covered their body cameras during the protests spread rapidly and widely on social media. We have not been able to determine if this is true. However, if you see something suspect, you can pass it on to us which can help us report.
Our reporting guidelines:
In addition to the tipsheets for reporters covering protests and civil unrest from the Committee to Protect Journalists and Poynter, we have made the following decisions for our newsroom:
To ensure the safety of our staff members and the accuracy of our coverage, reporters must stay in groups of three as they move throughout a demonstration, even if peaceful. It is recommended that one reporter is designated to watch the crowd and police, while the other two reporters collect information and multimedia elements. In a breaking news situation, such as a large scale demonstration, pieces of information should be verified and corroborated among the reporters.
Reporters are required to carry face masks, water, protective eye equipment, first-aid supplies and the phone numbers of an executive editor assisting the reporters, the student media adviser and other contacts in case of emergency or arrest. Additionally, reporters should wear gear identifying them as Lantern staff and must have their press passes clearly visible and easily accessible at all times. Editors and reporters should also have the number for legal assistance, such as a university’s student legal aid office, the Student Press Law Center hotline, or the legal hotline at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
A group of executive editors (editor-in-chief and managing editors) must stay in a safe place and maintain regular communication with the reporters. Because the editors are removed physically from the breaking news situation, they can monitor other news reports, social media and police channels and pass along that information to the reporters. Being removed also allows these editors to make decisions for when it’s time for the reporters to leave the scene if the situation becomes unsafe. That being said, executive editors should never demand reporters do something that would put the reporters or others in danger. The group on the ground has the agency to make the call to leave the situation, regardless of coverage needs.
Regular communication between the groups should be maintained. The numbers of each member of both teams should be stored as a contact in each person’s phone. One person from both the reporters’ group and editors’ group should be appointed to be the “contact” between the groups. All information should pass along this two-point line of communication.
We have made it our goal to speak over the phone every 10 minutes, but often it has been more frequent. It’s recommended that two text message groups be made: one for general communication and one for multimedia (photos, videos, audio). This separation will help keep the types of communications organized and reduce the chance of information being lost or overlooked.
Reporters should be reporting back to the editors what they are seeing. Descriptions should include location (such as identifying street names) and approximate time of observation. Editors should be the ones writing the story, updating social, obtaining additional comments and helping check the accuracy of the information coming back from the reporters.
Although executive editors will be checking social media and news outlets for updates, nothing should be reported without verification from reporters on the ground. If reporters do not see or hear it for themselves, The Lantern cannot in good faith report it.
At all times, our reporting staff should keep in mind who our readers are and what types of information they need to know.
It can be difficult for reporters to assess their own ability to keep reporting after a long day of news coverage, and it can be even more difficult for reporters to admit their exhaustion. Physical signs of burnout include chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath and headaches. Other signs include impaired judgment or concentration, bursts of crying, anger, isolation and lack of emotion. If a reporter appears withdrawn or otherwise unlike themselves, it is a sign they need a break. If a reporter asks for a break, they must get a break. Executive editors should keep in mind the stamina of the reporters and err on the side of caution than risk a staff member’s safety or life.