Community Standards for War and International News Coverage
- When covering international issues always cite sources.
- Use a variety of sources to ensure balance & provide perspectives outside of "official sources" - not just politicians or people with economic, political or military power.
- Utilize a variety of local sources for international news coverage - university educators, human rights activists, representatives from migrant/refugee communities, business community and worker rights organizations. See www.mediamouse.org/progdir/
- Investigate more of the local connections to international news stories - economics & trade relations, local refugees, human rights campaigns, sister city relations, and local Congressional voting records on foreign policy.
- Avoid presenting complex issues like war, famine, displacement and international politics in black & white terms.
- Always provide a context when reporting on international issues, particularly as it relates to the historical role US Foreign Policy has played in a particular country or region.
- In war coverage, provide information & images of victims on all sides. Avoid sanitizing the realities of war.
- Minimize violence or disaster-based stories, particularly when they are out of context.
- Provide post-crisis coverage - not just coverage of a current "hot spot," but follow-up coverage, especially if the US maintains direct involvement in particular countries or regions.
- Avoid being a cheerleader for US economic & military campaigns abroad. Provide objective journalism, not pro-US or pro-any nation coverage.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy (GRIID)
711 Bridge St. NW
Grand Rapids, MI
49504
616-459-4788x122 (phone)
616-459-3970 (fax)
www.griid.org
The contents of this page are also available in a PDF version: War and International Coverage Standards.
