Roundtable to address integrity of public media in digital age

The Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will co-host a roundtable of leading journalists and scholars to discuss editorial integrity for public media in a digital age.

About 25 leading public broadcasting executives, journalism scholars and ethicists will convene on Oct. 24 and 25 at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.

They will evaluate editorial guidelines that working groups of broadcasting leaders and advisers have developed during the past two years. The guidelines address such topics as transparency, funding firewalls, editorial partnerships and concepts of public service.

“The ethics center is pleased to co-host this meeting,” says Stephen J. A. Ward, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics. “Helping responsible journalists adapt to the new media landscape is part of our center’s mission.”

The guidelines are the result of the “Editorial Integrity for Public Media” project sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as described at www.pmintegrity.com

The October roundtable, which is also hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio and Television, is an opportunity for a wide group of experts to vet the project’s recommendations on principles, policies and practices.

The aim of the project is a set of recommendations that will be embraced by public broadcasting’s local station organizations and emerging digital-only public media groups.

The Center for Journalism Ethics, which is in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, promotes responsible journalism and the development of standards in an evolving global media era.