Journalism Ethics Roundtable

I'm spending some time about a block from our office at the Fluno Center on the UW Campus for a roundtable discussion titled "Ethics for the new investigative newsroom."

Andy Hall, executive director of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism is among the participants and organizers. It is an interesting format, unlike a typical conference. Instead the half dozen or so roundtable members are spending the day discussing issues in investigative journalism among themselves, with the public invited to observe. That public pretty much consists of me at the moment.

There has been a recent trend in the rise of independent non-profit investigative journalism centers being established. The impetus is the decline of traditional journalism, and the severe cutting of reporting staff by newspapers. The idea is that investigative journalism provides a critical watchdog function for the public good, and if the traditional media fails to provide it, these non-profit entities can fill that gap.

The panel is convened to talk about the issues that may arise as these independent groups try to establish themselves. How do they find funding sources that don't impose an agenda? How do they partner with traditional media to find an audience for their reporting while maintaining their own editorial voice?

Interesting questions indeed.