Journalistic ethics? No thanks, we’re Canadian!!

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Journalistic ethics? No thanks, we’re Canadian!!

April 24, 2013 by David Svien

And to think, THIS is the one of us that acted like a journalist today.

Journalists are supposed to be better than this.

In a world where people randomly “share/steal” things on Facebook, journalists don’t run photos that don’t belong to them, without asking permission first.

The Whidbey News-Times shamed itself today, and they are now trying to ignore what they did and hope no one noticed.

I did. I noticed. And I’m calling shenanigans.

And not the good kind.

Earlier today, an Island Transit bus plowed into En Vouge Hair Salon. Spencer Hawkins, who owns Gizmo’s Skateshop, snapped some photos of the damage.

Pretty soon the pictures were circulating around on Facebook, which is where I saw them.

I may have a blog now and not draw a pay check from a newspaper like I once did, but I still hold to some of my journalistic ethics.

I did not steal the photo. I asked Mr. Hawkins if I could use it, and, when he said yes, I gave him a photo credit.

Then I poked the News-Times over having something they didn’t.

Sure enough, 47 minutes later they got a short story up on-line, with the facts wrong and the EXACT SAME PHOTO I USED.

Not a similar shot from the same angle. The EXACT SAME PHOTO I USED.

But, no photo credit for Mr. Hawkins.

Then, people in the talkbacks (including myself) called them on their wrong facts and the photo with no credit. Bam! The photo later disappears.

No explanation. No apology. And no photo credit because THEY NEVER ASKED IF THEY COULD USE THE PHOTO.

You know, the way JOURNALISTS are supposed to operate. The way I operated today.

And how am I sure of this? Let me quote you the words of Spencer Hawkins, who shot the photo.

“The WNT never asked me to use the photos. I’m guessing that the paper just took the photo from someone else online.”