Iowa Center co-founders Stephen J. Berry and Robert Gutsche Jr. attended the second annual conference on new journalism and media ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on April 30, 2010.
The conference, which included dozens of regional and national journalists and academics, was hosted by UW-Madison’s Center for Journalism Ethics in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
“As new entrants into the exciting world of non-profit journalism, we gained valuable knowledge and new ideas from some of this movement’s courageous pioneers, like Charles Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity,” said Berry, interim executive director of the Iowa Center and associate professor of journalism at The University of Iowa. “Personally, I came away from this conference inspired to make full disclosure and transparency signature characteristics of the Center.”
Participants discussed the need for new media and non-profit outlets to apply the highest standards of ethics, including a commitment to transparency about donors and news staff. They also stressed the importance of collaboration with media and other partners. Read the conference blog here.
During the event, conference organizers, including Andy Hall, executive director of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and a member of the Iowa Center’s Board of Directors, released a report on ethics in non-profit journalism.
“A recurring theme I heard was that while ethics and transparency are critical aspects of journalistic credibility, quality journalism is the foundation upon which it stands,” Berry said. “To earn the public’s trust, we will diligently apply all three.”
Photo for the Iowa Center by Jake Naughton