As a mobile reporter, you are a journalist first and foremost – which means you have to abide by the same journalism ethics as other media professionals. Here are some major ethical considerations to keep in mind when reporting:
- Fairness. When reporting on an issue, especially if it implicates a certain individual or group, it’s important to reach out and give that party a chance to respond and give their statement and perspective.
- Maintain editorial independence. While accepting a scholarship, grant or fellowship to report on a story is not against journalism ethics, you should not be sponsored by a political group, corporation or individual to tell a particular story.
- Accountability. You should make sure that all of the information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge and be able to testify to this in court.
- Know that your audience trusts you to be a source of truthful information. Breaking that trust doesn’t just reflect on you; it can cause your audience to be less trustful of journalists as a whole. At a time when trust in the media is low, your work is instrumental in restoring trust and confidence in factual reporting.
IJNet's parent organization, ICFJ, partnered with the Meta Journalism Project and Seen on its Facebook Video Storytellers-Africa program.