Presented at Journalism in a 24/7 World: Decision-making for the Online Editor
Knight New Media Center, October 2006
Generated by AI, Edited by Human
This presentation by Howard Finberg, then Director of Interactive Learning at The Poynter Institute, addressed the challenges of online journalism in a real-time environment. The focus was on ethical judgment, editorial roles, and the structural change necessary to support online decision-making.
The guiding idea: “Our real product is credibility.”
Slide-by-Slide Summary of Core Points
Journalism’s True Business
- Begins with the question: “What business are we in?”
- Answer: Not news, but credibility—the audience must trust the institution.
Public Expectations and Perceptions
- Addresses the decline in public trust in journalism.
- Readers expect speed and accuracy; failure in either undermines credibility.
Ethical Decision-Making in Real Time
- Introduces the Online Credibility Gap.
- Highlights the lack of established ethical norms in digital contexts.
- Asks: “What are the rules online?”
Transparency and Corrections
- Credibility requires visible corrections and transparent changes.
- Encourages editors to avoid stealth editing or deletion without accountability.
Accountability and Structure
- Notes that online editorial decisions are often made without authority or oversight.
- Calls for clear delegation and training in ethical digital decision-making.
Organizational Alignment
- Stresses that newsroom behavior online must align with institutional values.
- Users judge the brand based on online actions, not just published mission statements.
Avoiding Legacy Thinking
- Warns against asking old questions with new words.
- Urges editors to develop entirely new frameworks for the digital environment.
Facilitating Ethical Culture
- Editors should model ethical behavior, coach their teams, and create systemic support for digital ethics.
- Online editing is not just technical—it is ethical leadership in real time.
The core message remains durable:
“Speed and reach do not eliminate responsibility—they amplify it.”
Related Posts
- Online Credibility: A User-Centered Approach (ONA Project, 2002) — Lays out the findings of ONA’s credibility working group, emphasizing transparency, corrections, and audience expectations in digital newsrooms.
- Guidelines for Online Corrections and Transparency (ONA, 2002) — Developed by the ONA project team, this post outlines best practices for making and labeling corrections online—directly relevant to Finberg’s points on credibility.
- Defining Online Trust: What Users Say Matters Most (ONA Survey) — Reports findings from the user survey conducted as part of the ONA Online Credibility Project. Strong overlap with Finberg’s 2006 points about trust being the core product.