***Thesis Manuscript for Pr Uricchio
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A Proposal for a Code of Ethics for Collaborative Journalism in the Digital Age: The Open Park Code by Florence H. J. T. Gallez B.A. English and Russian The University of London, 1996 M.S. Journalism Boston University, 1999 Submitted to the Program in Comparative Media Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Comparative Media Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2012 © 2012 Florence Gallez. All rights reserved The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Signature of Author: __________________________________________________ Program in Comparative Media Studies June 2012 Certified by: ________________________________________________________ David L. Chandler Science Writer MIT News Office Accepted by: ________________________________________________________ William Charles Uricchio Professor of Comparative Media Studies Director, Comparative Media Studies 1 A Proposal for a Code of Ethics for Collaborative Journalism in the Digital Age: The Open Park Code by Florence H. J. T. Gallez Submitted To The Program in Comparative Media Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Comparative Media Studies ABSTRACT As American professional journalism with its established rules and values transitions to the little-regulated, ever-evolving world of digital news, few of its practitioners, contributors and consumers are giving thought to the moral and intellectual implications that this transition entails. While technologists and innovators have embraced this passage into a hybrid model of skilled and citizen-generated news production, even spearheading its new practices at times, this transition is taking place in a moral and regulatory void: without a strong legislative foundation for cyberspace and revised ethical rules for the journalism profession online, media professionals and independent news producers lack guidance and tools to respond appropriately to new ethical issues not covered by current laws and ethical codes. Some of the key questions facing the profession are: should online journalism and all new forms of news media production be regulated, and if so, to what extent and by whom? What constitutes ethical collaboration? How does current regulation operate? Should or could it be extended to the digital domain? In this thesis I argue that professional and amateur news publishing on the Internet and other digital formats have created new social issues, ethical dilemmas and unanticipated situations for journalists, which are specific to digital media and unaddressed by current laws, standards, and codes of ethics. Following an analysis of these issues and the deficiencies of current ethics codes, using a real-life case study and comments from working journalists on their new professional needs, I then propose my vision for online news media production, arguing for an open-source, participatory model supported by a solid, individual ethical foundation and a revised relationship with sources. The thesis culminates with my proposed code of ethics for collaborative journalism in the digital age, the Open Park Code of Ethics and the Global Media Ethics Forum. Initially conceived as a news-reporting and educational tool for the Open Park project of The MIT Center for Future Civic Media, the OP Code reflects the principles and guidelines of my open-source model and is readily usable and adaptable to the needs of varied news media communities and individual producers. Thesis Supervisors: William Uricchio, Director of Comparative Media Studies David L. Chandler, MIT News Office Science Writer 2 Acknowledgments I would like to thank all the people who accompanied me on this long and enlightening Master's degree and CMS journey. First of all, I owe the greatest debt for this proposed Code of Ethics to my thesis committee, which has been a constant source of intellectual and moral support during both the research and writing processes, as well as the defense. David Chandler has shared with me his insights as a working professional journalist and given very pertinent suggestions to improve my research questions and the structure of the thesis. Likewise, I cannot thank enough Prof. William Uricchio, not only for his informed comments and methods for sharpening my argument in written notes and regular meetings, but also for educating me about the benefits of judicious selection and scalability, and the beauty of concision versus perfection. To both of them I am most grateful. This CMS path would not have been traced and thesis project initiated were it not for my initial and lasting fascination with Prof. Henry Jenkins's fresh and provocative approach to journalistic new media production and pioneering thoughts on all things civic and convergence. It is these bold ideas that inspired me to explore further how to design an ethical code for implementing such new models for media production. His useful feedback on my initial drafts, thesis proposal and presentation were foundational and provided the building blocks for the body of my argument and case study. Given his later, new commitments across the country, his time was also most appreciated. The staff, students and affiliates of the Comparative Media Studies program, of the Media Lab where I took many classes, and of my research group, the MIT Center for Civic Media, have equally been great sources of support, help and resources for steering my research ship across the tumultuous waters of a fast-changing media landscape, and for guiding my steps whenever they became hesitant. The rich conversations and steadfast encouragements of my former research director, Ellen Hume, herself a staunch advocate for open journalism, Chris Csikszentmihalyi, Dharmishta Rood and Cati Boulanger, to name but a few among many CMS, C4CM and Media Lab directors, friends and affiliates, have all in one way or another added value to my thinking and thesis writing. Andrew Whitacre's regular electronic dispatches of selected noteworthy developments and events in the CMS and C4CM departments and the field of new media at large have led to many valuable sources of information. Many experts-guest speakers discovered through these events, all hailing from varied and emerging media disciplines, have contributed pieces to the puzzle and fresh perspectives that helped me look at journalism ethics with new eyes and polish my proposal for an open, collaborative ethics system. Similarly essential supporters of my research endeavors in CMS quarters were the program's administrative staff, most notably Becky Shepardson, whose organizational skills combined with her constant encouragements were instrumental to my reaching the finishing line. And Sarah Wolozin, whose belief in community journalism and my initial project helped fuel further work on my Open Park Code of Ethics, offered 3 assistance in creative forms: her little note "Think only of your thesis" scribbled on a slip of paper did its part to keep my nose and thoughts to the task. Each and everyone in this little community of new media lovers deserve my heartfelt gratitude for their guidance, not only in the course of the thesis process, but also throughout the program. They also deserve many thanks for the times their patience was put to the test, when my perfectionism slowed down the pace of drafts’ delivery. My thesis would not be in its present polished state, were it not for the professional editor's judgment of Kate Delaney, whose laser-sharp pen has made a long and unruly draft editorially immaculate, and on a tight schedule at that. Thank you, Kate. Last but not least, I am also much indebted to my own selected sources for my research, the over 20 working media professionals who agreed to be personally interviewed and quoted in my thesis: Pr. Chris Daly, Jim Driscoll, Karen Weintraub, and Nick Daniloff who kindly invited me to speak at his journalism classes at Northeastern University and benefit from his students' experiences, among many others - kindly gave me not only their time, but also invaluable insights into the profession. To these insights, I should add those gained through the enriching conversations and collaborations with my own colleagues in the field - Jill Dougherty and Dorothy Parvaz to name but a few, whose own personal and professional sense of ethics proved very inspirational templates for my own proposed model of ethical collaborative news-reporting. As evidenced by this long and rich list of contributors, work on this thesis has itself very much been a naturally collaborative process, and I am most grateful to all those who participated. On a lighter note, I must thank the members of the MIT Figure Skating Club for providing me with, in addition to good humor and helpful diversions, 'cool' physical exercises whenever my brain cells became overheated. Finally, I am eternally grateful to my now 84 year-old mother, Cecile Gallez-Cottin, whose anxious yet tenacious supporting style has taught me to persist in the face of a difficult task. And of course, I must express my lifelong appreciation to Prince, who provided the musical background on the long thesis-writing nights and enlightening CMS journey. 4 Table of contents Abstract......................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments.......................................................................................