Ethics in social media - targeted to journalists, but applicable to students and professionals. This was done as a "quiz" to promote discussion - presenter should show the first slide and ask the question - then show the answer on the next slide.

1. SOCIAL
MEDIA
ETHICS
FIRST PRESENTED AT SPJ REGIONAL CONFERENCE IN SALT LAKE CITY,
MARCH 2014
NATALIE WARDEL, @NATALIEWARDEL

2. JOURNALISTS USE
SOCIAL MEDIA TO:
monitor
source
verify
network
publish &
promote

3. 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."

4. QUIZ
FIRST SLIDE: QUESTION
SECOND SLIDE: ANSWER

5. WHAT ARE ETHICS?

6. 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.

7. DO YOU HAVE A RIGHT
TO PRIVACY ONLINE?

8. 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.

9. DOES “THIS IS ME, NOT
MY EMPLOYER” COVER
YOUR OPINIONS ON
TWITTER?

10. 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.

11. CAN YOU USE IMAGES
YOU FIND ONLINE FOR
YOUR FACEBOOK
PROFILE PICTURE?

12. CAN YOU USE IMAGES
YOU FIND ONLINE FOR
AN ARTICLE YOU ARE
WRITING?

13. CAN YOU USE IMAGES
YOU FIND ONLINE FOR A
VIDEO?

14. 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

15. DO YOU HAVE FIRST
AMENDMENT RIGHTS
ONLINE?

16. 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.

17. SHOULD YOU TWEET
INFO YOU HEAR ON THE
SCANNER?

18. 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.