Rules and Regulations Online Journalists Should Follow
Online journalism has become widely popular with the invention of the Internet. Many people assume that because the things that are being written are put up on the Internet the laws that govern online journalist are different than those that govern traditional print journalists. While there are some differences in online journalism and traditional print journalism the differences are few and far between. Here’s a look at some of the laws and requirements for online journalists.
Informed Decision-Making. As an online journalist you must make informed decisions about whether or not what you’re posting in writing should be posted. Many online journalists post things without a second thought which can lead to charges of copyright infringement. It is important that even though you are an online journalist you follow all copyright laws and citation rules as you would a normal print magazine. This will help you avoid accusations of plagiarism and allow you to make sure that you do not violate copyright laws. Even if the online publication you write for does not require you to follow these rules and guidelines is important that a journalist you follow these rules.
Become Familiar with the First Amendment. Although your publishing your stories online you must still adhere to the First Amendment rights. It is important that you become familiar with what is protected and what isn’t protected under the first amendment rights. This will allow you to pursue legal action should something you post violate these rules and laws.
Use the Same Code of Ethics. Online journalist must make sure that they are following the same rules and ethics that regular print journalists have. This includes making sure that all work does not contain plagiarism, all sources that are used are reputable and that the reporting avoids having a tone of bias or conflict of interest.
Even though what you are publishing goes online it is important to remember that as an online journalist you must uphold the same standards and ethics that all print newspaper and magazine journalist use.