2021-0614 NEWS STANDARDS.pdf

JUNE 2021

SharePoint: Best Practices Guide

GALAXY/WEBSPACE: MEDIA-->HELP-->NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES

NEWS

STANDARDS &

BEST PRACTICES

https://bbg.sharepoint.com/sites/journalist-portal/editorial/Pages/Best-Practices-Guide.aspx

JUNE 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS – NEWS STANDARDS

THE VOA CHARTER 5

INTRODUCTION 6

NEWS GATHERING

-FAIRNE SS , OBJ E CTIV ITY & BALANCE 7

-B IAS & D IVE RSITY 9

-POLIT ICAL ACTIV ITY 10

-POLIT ICAL RE PORTING 11

-SOCIAL MEDIA 12

-SOURCING 14

-RUMORS & SPE CULATION 15

-ATTRIBUTION OF OUTSIDE SOURCE S 16

-CRE DIT ING THE NE WSFE E D PROV IDE RS 19

-BYLINE S 21

-PLAGIARISM 24

-DRONE S 26

-H IDDE N CAME RAS & M ICROPHONE S 31

-SE NSIT IV E & GRAPHIC MATE RIAL 31

-COV E RING WAR/COV E RING TE RRORISM 32

-V IDE O & AUDIO OF TE RRORISTS , HOSTAGE S OR PRISONE RS 33

-THRE ATS TO JOURNALISTS 34

-COV E RING PROTE STS/DE MONSTRATIONS 34

-COV E RING MASS SHOOTINGS 35

-COV E RING CRIMINAL ACTIV ITY 35

-HOSTAGE/BARRICADE S ITUATIONS 36

-NAMING PEOPLE INV OLV E D IN CRIME S 37

- INTE RV IE WING & V IDE OTAPING M INORS 38

-COV E RING & RE PORTING SUICIDE S 38

-BRE AKING NE WS 39

-RE PORTING CROWD ESTIMATE S 39

-STAGING & RE -CRE ATIONS 39

-USING VOA EMPLOYE E S OR RE LATIV ES FOR STORIE S 40

- INTE RV IE WS 40

-PUBLIC F IGURE S 42

-ANONYMITY 43

-“AMBUSH” INTE RV IE WS 44

-ADV ANCE SCRIPTS/SCRE E NING 44

-SUBJ E CT TAPING INTE RV IE W 44

-RE QUE STS FOR UNAIRE D/UNPUBLISHE D MATE RIAL 44

-PAYME NT 44

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GUESTS

-NOTIFYING VOA SE NIOR MANAGE ME NT OF H IGH-LE V E L GUE STS 45

-SE CURITY PROCE DURE S FOR GUE STS 45

-GUE ST BOOKING PROCE DURE S 47

-HOSTING A GUE ST ON VOA PROGRAMS 49

DOMESTIC D ISTRIBUTION OF VOA CONTENT

-SMITH-MUNDT RE GULATIONS 51

-USAGE RE QUE STS 51

-TALKING ABOUT VOA CONTE NT & PROGRAMMING 52

-DOME STIC RE CRUITME NT , ENHANCING VOA’S CR E DIBIL ITY 53

-SUMMARY 54

CORRECTIONS 55

LEGAL ISSUES

-VOA F IRE WALL 57

-COPYRIGHT & FAIR USE 59

-TRADE MARK 60

-F ILMING IN PUBLIC V S . PRIV ATE PLACE S 61

-PROOF OF INSURANCE 61

-DE FAMATION/PRIV ACY/FALSE L IGHT 61

-RE PORTE R ’S PRIV ILE GE & CONFIDE NTIAL SOURCE S 63

-RE PORTING ON CLASSIFIE D DOCUME NTS 63

-SUBPOE NAS OR RE QUE STS FOR TE STIMONY OR DOCUME NTS 64

- INTE RNATIONAL TRAV E L BY VOA STAFF 64

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

-OUTSIDE EMPLOYME NT GUIDE LINE S 65

-OUTSIDE PUBLIC APPE ARANCE S GUIDE LINE S 67

-GUIDE LINE S FOR NO N-PSC CONTRACTORS 67

-ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE 68

-COMPE TIT IONS AND CASH AWARDS 69

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TABLE OF CONTENTS – BEST PRACTICES

V IDEO USAGE RIGHTS

-COMMON FE ATURE S 70

-ABC NE WS 72

-AGE NCE FRANCE PRE SSE (AFP) 73

-ASSOCIATE D PRE SS (AP) 74

-RE UTE RS 75

-NE WS AGE NCY IDS & THE DO T 77

-ADDING AN AGE NCY ID/DOT IN PRE MIE RE PRO 80

-ADDING AN AGE NCY ID/DOT IN GALAXY 82

-NE WSMARKE T 84

-USING CONTE NT FROM STATE-RUN ME DIA 85

-V IDE O NE WS RE LE ASE S (VNRS) 87

D IGITAL MEDIA

-YO UTUBE GUIDE LINE S 88

-USE R-GE NE RATE D CONTE NT 92

-RE VE ALING WE BSITE S & ADDRE SSE S 95

-AFFIL IATE/RE CIPROCAL L INKS 95

MUSIC

-GE NE RAL GUIDE LINE S 96

-COPYRIGHT GUIDE LINE S 96

AUDIO USAGE R IGHTS

-AUDIO CLIPS FROM TV NETWORKS 97

PHOTOGRAPHS

-GE NE RAL RULE S 99

-EDITING PHOTOGRAPHS 100

-PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS 100

-TE CHNICAL T IPS 100

-SE NDING PHOTO F ILE S 101

-CAPTIONS/CRE DITS 101

APPENDIX

-PROHIBITE D ITE MS 103

-CONTROL ROOM EME RGE NCY PROCE DURE S 103

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 105

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THE VOA CHARTER

President Gerald Ford signed the VOA Charter (Public Law 94-350) into law on July 12, 1976. It protects the independence and integrity of VOA programming.

The long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio. To be effective, the Voice of America must win the attention and respect of listeners. These principles will therefore govern Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts:

1. VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.

2. VOA will represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.

3. VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussions and opinions on these policies.

Table of Contents https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/oversight/legislation/voa-charter/ https://www.bbg.gov/who-we-are/oversight/legislation/voa-charter/

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INTRODUCTION

THIS GUIDE APPLIES TO ALL EMPLOYEES , CONTRACTORS AND STRINGERS

WHO GATHER , PRODUCE , EDIT, TRANSLATE , PRESENT

AND D ISSEMINATE CONTENT FOR VOA

The purpose of this Guide is to define in more detail the journalistic standards and best practices that VOA full-time employees and contractors should follow every day. Although the increasingly changing news and information environment requires each of us to have a basic understanding of best practices, it goes without saying that every news event, every radio, TV and web piece, every social media post, every program, every interview – that is, everything we cover, produce and disseminate – is unique and must be considered in context and on its own merits.

VOA full-time employees and contractors are encouraged to bring issues not covered in this guide to the attention of their supervisors, Service Chiefs, Division Directors, the News Standards & Best Practices Editor, VOA Senior Management or the Office of General Counsel as appropriate.

➢ There may be times when the News Center or a Language Service will be working on stories that allege wrongdoing. In those cases, the Office of General Counsel must be consulted.

(Also see Legal Issues, p. 57)

It is everyone’s responsibility to understand these best practices as well as to consider one’s own sense of right and wrong. Credibility is the most precious commodity of any news organization. The only way to achieve and maintain that credibility is for everyone within VOA to accept responsibility for it.

WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK – DO NOT ASSUME

This guide will help, but should not replace, discussions of difficult issues with co-workers and supervisors.

We grow as a news organization -- and policies are formed -- by asking questions and discussing the journalistic issues we face daily.

In addition to these journalistic guidelines, federal employees are also required to follow the policies laid out by the Office of Government Ethics and USAGM’s Ethics Counsel.

The Best Practices Guide is a living document and is updated regularly on SharePoint and in Galaxy/Webspace.

https://bbg.sharepoint.com/sites/offices/gc/ethics/SitePages/Home.aspx https://bbg.sharepoint.com/sites/journalist-portal/editorial/Pages/Best-Practices-Guide.aspx

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NEWS GATHERING

FAIRNESS, OBJECTIVITY & BALANCE

WHEN PERFORMING OFFICIAL DUTIES, VOA STAFF LEAVE THEIR PERSONAL POLITICAL VIEWS BEHIND

• All VOA staff and contractors should put aside their own cultural values and personal beliefs when preparing a report, conducting an interview, hosting a newscast, interview program, or posting on social media.

• The accuracy, quality and credibility of the Voice of America are its most important assets, and they rest on our audiences’ perception of VOA as an accurate, objective and reliable source of U.S., regional and world news and information.

• VOA journalists -- including writers, correspondents, stringers, program hosts, and social media teams -- should always avoid the use of unattributed negative terms or labels to describe persons or organizations. The only exceptions are when individuals and groups use those labels to describe themselves or their activities, or someone is directly quoted using a negative term.

• Be fair to all of the people involved in a story. People who are presented in a negative light must be given a reasonable chance to present their side of the issue. If they refuse to comment, that must be noted.

• A correspondent, producer or host should be well prepared with facts to balance the statements of one side or the other. Don’t simply nod in acknowledgment when listening to someone’s answer, as this could imply that you agree with that position.

• VOA journalists and all those preparing broadcast, website and social media programming must avoid any action or statement that might give the appearance of partisanship.

This includes the wearing of lapel pins, religious symbols, clothing designs or color schemes that appear to support one party or individual over another.

➢ THERE IS NO PLACE AT VOA FOR ADVOCACY

JOURNALISM - THE PRESENTATION OF NEWS FROM ONE

PARTICULAR VIEWPOINT OR ONE SPECIFIC AGENDA .

➢ VOA JOURNALISTS CANNOT ACCEPT MONETARY

PAYMENT OR GIFTS FROM ANY INDIVIDUAL, SPECIAL

INTEREST GROUP, OR POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IN

EXCHANGE FOR NEWS COVERAGE. IT IS A VIOLATION

OF JOURNALISTIC ETHICS.

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• Other conflicts of interest may come up, such as the relationship of staff members with VOA and USAGM management.

Where possible, VOA journalists should avoid covering an event where a speaker or panelist is from VOA simply because VOA is represented at the event. If the event is newsworthy, the report should disclose and explain that VOA is represented at the event and explain the editorial reason for covering the event as a news story.

• VOA employees and contractors must carry out their work with the utmost professionalism. Just as we as journalists do not make critical statements towards or about members of the government, we do not offer them words of praise either. Especially in our case, it might create an impression that VOA is working hand-in-hand with another government agency. We have to fight that on a regular basis, and it doesn't help if our critics see or hear a statement of that nature.

When you are called on in a briefing, state your name, your work affiliation and then ask your question.

• Professionalism applies equally to your work in the Cohen Building, the bureaus, and in the field.

Respect for your colleagues is absolutely vital to maintaining best practices. Whether in a newsroom, studio, control room or in the field, pursuit of a story is not an excuse for arrogance.

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BIAS & DIVERSITY

One of the key areas for ensuring fairness, objectivity and balance in our reporting is to avoid bias or preconceived notions.

• Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, social status or physical appearance.

• VOA personnel should make a good-faith effort to ensure that interviewees presented in VOA reports and programs are given equal consideration and without favor to any one gender group.

• Don’t include a description of an individual unless it is essential to the story. If a description doesn’t serve an editorial purpose, it may perpetuate negative stereotypes, possibly anger some members of a community and in all likelihood will not effectively advance the story.

Poynter explains why here: Poynter-Negative Stereotypes

• Be aware of the possibility of racial or ethnic stereotyping when selecting images to include in stories. In a story about unwed mothers in the U.S., should every mother shown be African American? When file video about drug arrests in the U.S., should every person shown be African American or Hispanic? The clear answer is no.

• Avoid the casual use of words and phrases like “illegal immigrant,” “Third World” and “terrorist,” or the assumption that “fundamentalism” equals violence.

(Also see Loaded Words, p. 32)

• Poynter provides this chart to illustrate how certain assumptions can reflect bias in editorial decision-making and story production.

https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2020/unarmed-black-man-doesnt-mean-what-you-think-it-means/

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POLITICAL ACTIVITY

VOA STAFF CANNOT CAMPAIGN FOR OR

ORGANIZE EVENTS FOR POLITICAL CANDIDATES

THAT IS A VIOLATION OF THE JOURNALISTIC ETHIC

OF FAIRNESS, OBJECTIVITY AND BALANCE

AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL TIMES

THE HATCH ACT

The Hatch Act is a federal law prohibiting government employees in the Executive Branch from engaging in partisan political activity. The Office of General Counsel has provided some basic guidelines regarding political activity by VOA employees.

Employees MAY NOT engage in political activity while:

• On duty – You are on duty when you are teleworking

• In any government office

• Using a government vehicle

• Wearing an official uniform or insignia

In addition, the following political activities are prohibited while on duty:

• Wearing campaign buttons and/or t-shirts

• Displaying campaign posters in the workplace

• Using AGENCY e-mail accounts, social media accounts or blogs to support or criticize a candidate or political position

• Using agency computers to make online campaign donations

• Using screensavers supporting or criticizing a candidate or political position

• Using agency-supplied smartphones to support or criticize a candidate or political position

For more complete guidance on the Hatch Act, please follow this link to the Office of General Counsel’s Ethics page.

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POLITICAL REPORTING

To avoid appearances of inappropriate endorsement or bias, if any VOA website reports on a Democratic or Republican presidential debate and the story includes a link to the campaign website of one candidate, we must include the campaign websites of all the candidates taking part in the debate. The same holds true if we are reporting on candidates for the Senate, House and for governors.

We follow the same guidelines during the final presidential campaign period with regard to a sitting president and the opposing candidate/s. But in that case, the link for the sitting president MUST BE TO

THE CAMPAIGN’S WEBSITE, NOT TO WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV.

VOA DOES NOT “call” elections, and declarations of victory need strict attribution, generally to AP’s and Reuters’ calls. We do not refer to a candidate as more than an “apparent” or “projected” winner until results are certified.

In other words, when reporting on U.S. political campaigns, all VOA websites should follow the same journalistic balance and fairness as in all of our daily reporting.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

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SOCIAL MEDIA

• You can be a journalist, or you can be an advocate -- but never both.

Technology has changed radically over the last 20 years, but the basic principles of journalism have not.

If you are a journalist you should never post anything online that would lead people to believe you support any policy, political party, or ideology. News organizations, like VOA, adhere to the highest standards of professional journalism, and require journalists who are – and are perceived as – impartial and objective.

Therefore, it is critical that you are fair, impartial, and objective at all times on social media and other public spaces. Assume that everything you post online can or will become public at some point.

FULL DISCLOSURE

• To not disclose personal involvement is an act of advocacy and is prohibited for journalists.

If you have a personal interest in any issue — whether political, financial, or ideological — it is your responsibility to first discuss with your editor whether you should cover the story. In most cases your editor will tell you to recuse yourself and will assign the story to someone else. But even when you aren’t reporting on a subject and simply sharing stories online, you have a responsibility to disclose when a given story may impact you personally.

PERSONAL ACCOUNTS

• Sharing VOA reporting on personal accounts is fine but uploading raw news agency content directly to personal accounts is not.

Not only does direct posting to personal accounts take the audience away from official accounts, but it could leave you legally responsible for infringing the copyright of the wire services (AFP, AP and Reuters). Furthermore, VOA does not provide any support for personal accounts, including verification or ad campaigns, because those accounts are not agency property.

LIKES AND RETWEETS

• Don’t join the conversation unless your goal is to engage in reporting – and always assume that sharing the comments of others will lead your followers to believe you agree with those opinions.

Amplifying others’ opinions by liking or retweeting them is no different than if you had written the post yourself and should be as fair and impartial as everything else you do. Social media can be an echo chamber, with like-minded groups of people parroting each other’s talking points.

AUDIENCE TARGETING

• The Voice of America does not attempt to reach audiences in the United States. This includes diaspora groups. There are no exceptions, even if the content is in a language other than English, or the groups or individuals are from countries which we reach overseas.

The Smith-Mundt Act limits VOA to broadcasting to foreign audiences, overseas. Consequently, every single post on social media should be written with a specific foreign audience in mind. Furthermore, you should not signal your position on one side or another of America’s cultural or political disputes. If you repeatedly talk about issues that non-Americans cannot understand, you are out of your social media lane. VOA serves overseas audiences alone and your work on social media should reflect that.

(Also see Smith-Mundt Regulations, p. 51)

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SOCIAL MEDIA AS A REPORTING TOOL

• Before running any material discovered on social media over broadcast or digital platforms, be sure to carefully scrutinize accounts originating the material for the user’s post history, how long the account has been in existence, and other pieces of forensic evidence.

These platforms present an extraordinary opportunity to get on-the-ground footage of events, often in places where VOA cannot safely send its journalists. But that comes with an extraordinary risk: pictures and videos claiming to be of a particular event are often fake or misattributed. When in doubt, consult VOA’s in-house experts on validating third-party material.

(Also see User-Generated Content, p. 92)

TRANSPARENCY

• Every news outlet makes mistakes. If your reporting contains a factual error it should be corrected as quickly as possible, with a notation at the bottom.

Never delete any content on any platform without first consulting your supervisor or Service Chief.

While you should not delete incorrect stories or video from your site, you should use the content management system to remove it from major section fronts until it is corrected. The URL will continue to work but will not be highlighted on the site.

(Also see Corrections, p. 55)

VIOLATIONS

ALLEGATIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MISUSE WILL BE

FULLY INVESTIGATED, AND STAFFERS WILL BE

NOTIFIED OF ANY SUCH ALLEGATIONS.

SOCIAL MEDIA MISUSE, INCLUDING AS DESCRIBED IN THIS GUIDE,

CAN RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION, UP TO AND INCLUDING

REMOVAL FROM FEDERAL SERVICE

SUPPORT

Not sure where to go with questions about social media? Ask the News Standards and Best Practices Editor or VOA’s Office of Digital Strategy.

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SOURCING

Whenever possible, a source should be “on the record” – someone who is willing to be named and quoted.

If a source refuses to be named, the information he or she provides must be characterized in other ways, as clearly as possible.

➢ A REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIALITY SHOULD COME FROM THE SOURCE.

IT IS NEVER SUGGESTED BY THE CORRESPONDENT OR PRODUCER.

However, your editor, VOA senior management and the Office of General Counsel have a right to know the name of the source if they ask for it.

➢ AN UNNAMED SOURCE MUST HAVE VERIFIABLE AND

FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE STORY

Before using an unnamed source, you must be certain that there is no other way to get the information on the record. You must be convinced the source knows what he/she is talking about, and you should consider asking for factual evidence to support the source’s claim or comment. Be sure that the source is actually confirming the information from his or her knowledge of a particular situation and is not simply hearing it from you and agreeing that it is plausible, or that the source has heard the information from someone else.

Avoid extremely vague terms such as “unnamed sources” or “unidentified sources,” “informed sources,” “authoritative sources,” “well-placed sources,” “reliable sources.”

You should be willing to tell our audience why the source cannot be named. For example, you can say, “The source’s name is being withheld to protect against possible reprisals.”

A story that relies on the use of confidential/unnamed sources should be of public concern.

There will be times when news outlets report information from unnamed sources during a breaking story, such as the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013. In that incident, multiple news organizations said there was an arrest and VOA reported that information. That information was later found to be incorrect and VOA issued a correction across all platforms.

(Also see Social Media, p. 12 and Corrections, p. 55)

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The following explanations help to establish with a source what level of confidentiality you agree to. It is best to clarify with the source how the information may be used.

• ON THE RECORD

All information is suitable for publication and attributable to the source by name and title.

• OFF THE RECORD

Material that is “off the record” is not directly usable, but the information can be used to focus the direction of a story. Off-the-record material may also be a valid second source to confirm information obtained elsewhere.

• ON BACKGROUND

“On background” is generally understood to mean the information given can be used, provided it is attributed to a generic source. “A senior administration official said on background that the election was flawed.”

• DEEP BACKGROUND

Information obtained on “deep background” is normally provided with the understanding that it will not be sourced directly in any way. Acceptable wording might be, “It was learned that the delegates agreed to a second meeting on Tuesday.”

➢ PUBLICATION OF A SIGNIFICANT STORY BASED UPON A SINGLE SOURCE

WHO WILL NOT ALLOW HIS OR HER NAME TO BE USED MUST ALWAYS BE

APPROVED IN ADVANCE BY VOA SENIOR MANAGEMENT.

➢ UPON REQUEST, DISCLOSURE OF A SOURCE’S IDENTITY TO VOA SENIOR

MANAGEMENT AND TO THE OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL MAY BE

REQUIRED TO CLEAR THE SOURCED INFORMATION FOR AIR.

➢ WHEN DISCUSSING CONFIDENTIALITY WITH A SOURCE, IT IS ADVISABLE TO

EXPLAIN THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS LIMITED DISCLOSURE WITHIN VOA.

REFUSAL TO DISCLOSE THE SOURCE MAY RESULT IN THE SOURCE’S

INFORMATION NOT BEING USED BY VOA.

(Also see Reporter’s Privilege & Confidential Sources, p. 63)

RUMORS & SPECULATION

• VOA avoids the use of rumors and speculation in news items.

However, this should be carefully evaluated on a case-by-case basis in instances where a rumor or speculation takes on a life of its own. In general, reporters, producers and editors should seek out responsible officials to respond to the rumors or speculation and use those comments as our entry to the story. Without an official comment, VOA should not be first to publicize a rumor or speculation.

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ATTRIBUTION OF OUTSIDE SOURCES

WE GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Proper attribution is a fundamental element of good journalism.

VOA’s primary sources of news are our own correspondents and stringers, and our agreements with ABC News, Agence France Presse, the Associated Press and Reuters.

However, we also get our information from newspapers, television news networks, official news agencies of other nations, corporate press releases or non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Some guidelines for proper attribution:

• When VOA interviews someone for a particular news story or topic, the scripts should indicate that the person was speaking to VOA.

• When using statements by an individual at a news conference or in other public settings, the scripts should indicate where and how the statement or quote was made.

• When VOA uses information or interviews/quotes from sources outside of our contracts, or uses quotes from editorials, opinion pieces or social media posts, it is mandatory to credit the media organization, NGO or other outlet. Not including that information can open VOA to possible claims of plagiarism and/or copyright infringement.

• As with fair use of video, DO NOT ABUSE THE COPYRIGHT OF THE OWNER OF THE CONTENT.

(Also see Crediting the Newsfeed Providers, p. 19 and Plagiarism, p. 24)

One method of providing attribution is in the use of hyperlinks. In the two examples below, the New York Times and Washington Post provided links to the original source of the information.

• THIS IS MANDATORY FOR ALL VOA WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA

PLATFORMS.

In an interview this week with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump quipped about his phones being insecure. When asked what American officials in Turkey had learned about the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, he replied, “I actually said don’t give it to me on the phone. As good as these phones are supposed to be.”

But Democratic lawmakers made clear Thursday morning that they will not ignore a New York Times report that Trump has refused to stop using iPhones in the White House, despite repeated warnings from U.S. intelligence officials that Chinese and Russian spies are routinely listening in on his conversations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/us/politics/trump-phone-security.html

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Information that comes directly from the U.S. government – the White House, State Department, Pentagon or Congress – is considered valid on its own but must still be attributed.

On a breaking news story AFP, AP or Reuters may quote a single source such as a police official or a government spokesperson. In those cases our copy will attribute the information to the wire service and say that VOA is working to confirm the information.

Information in News Center stories does not require additional sourcing.

FULL SCREEN GRAPHICS

We often use information or statistics that come from think tanks, NGOs, or another government agency.

Aside from crediting those groups in scripts, they must also be credited in full-screen graphics, whether as a stand-alone page or within a video package.

Any time a graphic is based on information or statistics that are not originally generated by VOA, a small source attribution needs to be included on the graphic, as seen in the example below.

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OPENSOURCE

The U.S. government-funded news portal OpenSource is an important tool for finding source information. VOA uses the text material in OpenSource as a second source of news and information.

OpenSource can be found in Galaxy/Webspace at WIRES→OPENSOURCE→ALL WIRES

VOA DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS to the audio and video which OpenSource posts from news organizations such as BBC, Sky News and Al Jazeera English, for example, with whom VOA does not have contractual agreements.

WIKIPEDIA

• Wikipedia should not be considered or used as a primary source of information.

There have been a number of incidents where material posted on Wikipedia has not been verified or has proven to be incorrect. Any information found on Wikipedia should be confirmed with other, more reliable sources, or with the News Center.

http://www.opensource.gov/

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CREDITING THE NEWSFEED PROVIDERS

To make sure that our best practices are in sync with our news agency contracts, below is guidance on how VOA should credit the agencies across all platforms. Each platform has different guidelines, and everyone should be aware of the differences, especially if you’re producing a story that will appear on different platforms.

Regardless of the platform, editors should carry out occasional spot-checks of copy to ensure that the guidance is being followed.

RADIO

• AFP, AP and Reuters have all confirmed that VOA radio broadcasts can use their news wire copy verbatim without verbal attribution or credit. All three agencies consider this to be “standard use” of their material.

Although the contracts permit this, VOA’s best practice should still be to double-source the information and then put that information into your own words.

• However, if one wire service has an exclusive interview or information that other news organizations do not have, we should give that wire service verbal credit in the broadcast.

• This guidance applies to all FTE and PSC contractors. Stringers filing for VOA who use news agency copy for their reports should provide proper attribution.

VIDEO

• Although the individual news agency IDs and the Dot are burned into agency video as they are being recorded in Galaxy, it is preferable that all video pieces -- whether produced by the News Center or by a language service – should note the time segments where ABC NewsOne, AFP, AP and Reuters videos are used. That is our way of tracking/crediting them for the usage, and for the Senior Archivists to know whether the material is worth keeping.

• Video downloaded from the ABC, AFP, AP and Reuters websites must have the proper ID added to the video before it is broadcast or published. This is a requirement of our contracts with our providers.

(Also see Video Usage Rights, p. 70 and News Agency IDs and the Dot, p. 77)

• Verbal credit to the news agencies is not required for video reports, unless the video is exclusive and is noted as such in the agency’s script.

WEB

It has long been the practice in print to credit the wire services when using their stories in whole or in part. All VOA websites and social media pages should follow this practice.

• How the credit looks when using a single news agency’s wire story in full, with the agency’s name at the top.

The end credit MUST be included, even if the wire service is credited in the body of the story.

https://www.voanews.com/usa/watchdog-reviews-complaint-about-fbi-surveillance-warrant https://www.voanews.com/usa/watchdog-reviews-complaint-about-fbi-surveillance-warrant

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• If a paragraph cannot be rewritten – perhaps it’s a description of a complicated idea or is information only that wire service had – the wording should be “according to a report from Reuters,” or something similar.

• Agency photos used on VOA websites and on agency-maintained social media pages must include a captioned credit to the agency.

(Also see Captions/Credits, p. 101) https://www.voanews.com/usa/blinken-heads-europe-boost-alliances https://www.voanews.com/usa/blinken-heads-europe-boost-alliances

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BYLINES

VOA frequently publishes stories with contributions from News Center and language service journalists.

This is an explanation of the News Center’s policy on how contributions should be credited in the script and how to determine who receives the byline on the finished web story. There are also several examples showing who would earn the byline under different reporting scenarios.

Story script headers in Microsoft Teams have three fields related to tracking reporter contributions, noted here in bold:

((PLAYBOOK SLUG:

HEADLINE:

TEASER:

PUBLISHED AT: 3/29/2021

BYLINE:

CONTRIBUTOR:

DATELINE:

VIDEOGRAPHER:

Script Writer:

SCRIPT EDITORS:

VIDEO SOURCE (S):

PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV __ RADIO __

TRT:

VID APPROVED BY:

TYPE:

EDITOR NOTES:

• When creating a story in Microsoft Teams the Script Writer is the journalist who actually composed/updated/ corrected the written text. If a story is updated, with minor additions, the writer field must be updated as well, so that later questions can be directed to the relevant person. If an editor updates a story, the editor’s name goes into the writer field.

• The contributor credit goes to reporters who provided key information for a story that ended up in the final copy, but who are not involved in actually writing the story.

• The web byline entry follows the bylines policy detailed on the next page.

• ONLY the web byline and/or the contributing line are published online.

It is the responsibility of all writers and correspondents to know the bylines policy and fill out the template accurately. News desk editors should ensure that this is done correctly before publishing, so that it is clearly laid out for the Web editors.

JUNE 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 23

WHO GETS THE WEB BYLINE

A web byline depends in part on whether there is original reporting in the story. The News Center’s byline policy tries to highlight when a reporter is on location where a story is occurring, and/or when we have original content.

The next sections explain the byline policy for reporters working out of VOA’s headquarters and the policy for reporters working in the field. When reporters are on location filing material to a writer/editor on the news desk, VOA generally follows AP’s byline policy, linked below.

VOA HQ-BASED JOURNALISTS

For journalists based in VOA’s headquarters in Washington, a byline on a story requires including in a story information that comes from direct contact with a news source – whether that’s a phone call, an email, a Twitter direct message, etc.

For example: Watching a news event live on TV and combining that with a press release is not “byline worthy.” However, if the writer/reporter gets additional information from a source, and that content is included in the published story, then the writer/reporter will get the byline. Stories that do not meet the byline standard, but are considered still worth publishing, will carry a generic VOA News byline instead of a reporter’s name.

AP allows bylines only from reporters who have a relevant dateline. VOA does allows bylines from writers and reporters working inside its main Washington headquarters whose reporting meets the byline standard.

BUREAU & FIELD REPORTERS

AP recommends that reporters who are filing from location for a breaking news story get first billing on a byline – even if much of the story is actually written by someone on their desk. For VOA, if the desk writer or editor also contributes original reporting, the final editor will determine whether the work merits a shared byline or contributor mention.

NEWS CENTER POLICY ON PSEUDONYMS & “PEN NAMES”

The News Center does not permit reporters to use pseudonyms as bylines on English language news stories. The main reason is that fabricating a reporter’s identity undermines VOA’s credibility.

For reporters who do not wish to have their name on a story for security issues or other valid reasons, the News Center will use a generic VOA News byline. An explanation can be included in a contributor line, should the reporter wish to highlight why his or her real name cannot be used.

For example:

“A VOA employee working in Pakistan contributed to this report. The reporter’s name is being withheld because of ongoing threats against journalists in the country.”

“A VOA Mandarin service journalist wrote this report. VOA is declining to name the reporter because of Chinese government policies that threaten journalists and their extended families.”

https://www.apstylebook.com/ap_stylebook/associated-press-statement-of-news-values-and-principles

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If a reporter does not want to use his or her name in a voiced TV or radio report, the intro and the signoff may omit it. A possible final line for an intro: “We have this report from our West Africa bureau in Dakar.” For the signoff the reporter would say, “…VOA News, West Africa bureau.”

BYLINE EXAMPLES INVOLVING MULTIPLE JOURNALISTS

• A language service interviews a newsmaker or analyst and sends the news desk the interview audio, which a writer uses in an OCN.

WEB BYLINE: VOA News CONTRIBUTING: Language service reporter name(s) WRITER: Writer’s name

• A language service reporter/stringer is on the scene of a breaking news event overseas and sends in quotes from eyewitnesses and color from the scene. A writer takes the material, and shapes it into a story, adding context and background.

WEB BYLINE: Language service reporter/stringer CONTRIBUTING: None (unless writer also calls an analyst/contributes original material)

• A writer/reporter in Washington writes an analytical news story using their own reporting and also interviews conducted by language service reporters in the field.

WEB BYLINE: Washington writer/reporter name CONTRIBUTING: language service field reporters

• A language service sends quotes from an interview with an analyst for a breaking news story that the news desk has already written by monitoring live broadcasts and using news wires.

The writer updates the story, adding the new material.

WEB BYLINE: VOA News

• An overseas correspondent files on a breaking news story in the coverage region. A language service reporter later gets additional reaction and sends the information to the news desk to use to update the story.

WEB BYLINE: Overseas correspondent

JUNE 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 25

PLAGIARISM

• Allegations of plagiarism are to be reported to the News Standards and Best Practices Editor and to your supervisor.

• The News Standards and Best Practices Editor shall determine whether an allegation of plagiarism is credible and shall inform VOA Management.

• In such instances, the content should be immediately taken down (or annotated to reflect the allegations), pending a more complete investigation of the alleged plagiarism. Insert language like this in place of the story: This article is being reviewed

• If the News Standards and Best Practices Editor verifies that plagiarized content has in fact been posted on any VOA website and/or social media account, the content in question shall be removed immediately by VOA.

• In its place, the language like the following should appear:

The article that previously appeared at this location has been removed because it was found to include what we determined to be plagiarized material.

• This is in addition to any other notification required by the Best Practices Editor to demonstrate to VOA’s global audiences that plagiarized material will not be tolerated and will be removed promptly.

➢ PLAGIARISM IS ILLEGAL AND UNETHICAL AND STRIKES AT THE VERY HEART

OF OUR JOURNALISTIC MISSION

➢ IT CAN COST THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE AGENCY ITS CREDIBILITY AND

REPUTATION AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED

➢ WE DO NOT PRESENT OTHERS’ WORK AS OUR OWN

CONFIRMATION OF PLAGIARISM, AS DESCRIBED IN THIS GUIDE,

CAN RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION, UP TO AND

INCLUDING REMOVAL FROM FEDERAL SERVICE

JUNE 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 26

The Poynter Institute provides this chart to help identify plagiarism: Is It Plagiarism?

You can also use these free online plagiarism-checking tools:

https://www.paperrater.com/plagiarism_checker (Checks English copy only) https://plagiarismdetector.net/ https://smallseotools.com/plagiarism-checker/ https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2014/is-it-original-an-editors-guide-to-identifying-plagiarism/ https://www.paperrater.com/plagiarism_checker https://plagiarismdetector.net/ https://smallseotools.com/plagiarism-checker/

JUNE 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 27

DRONES

The use of drones is heavily regulated, and VOA will own and operate drones in the United States subject to governmental restrictions and VOA policies.

It is illegal to operate an unmanned aerial system/drone (UAS) for business purposes in the United States without advance approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Prospective VOA drone users must obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate (the official title for a drone pilot license) prior to any field usage of a drone.

DRONE USAGE BY VOA-AFFILIATED PERSONNEL IS RESTRICTED

TO PROPERLY LICENSED DRONE PILOTS.

VOA drone pilots will follow the FAA’S rules and respect all restrictions, including those imposed locally by police or emergency service agencies. VOA journalists contracting for drone services must also be aware of laws and safety regulations governing their use.

When a drone will be used to cover a story, advance notice via email must be sent to the VOA Deputy Director for Programming (jlippman@voanews.com; 202-203-4325) or the News Standards & Best Practices Editor (sspringer@voanews.com; 202-203-4276). A summary of the story and location of the shoot should be included in the email.

VOA will use guidelines from the Professional Society of Drone Journalists (www.dronejournalism.org) to determine drone usage:

• NEWSWORTHINESS: The story must be of sufficient importance to risk using a potentially harmful drone. Do not use a drone if the information or aerial perspective can be gathered by other, safer means.

• SAFETY: A drone pilot must be properly trained in the operation of the equipment. The equipment must be in a condition suitable to safe and controlled flight. A drone must not fly in weather conditions that exceed the limits of the drone’s ability to operate safely. A drone must be flown in a manner that ensures the safety of the public and is least disruptive to the general population in a public setting. A Pilot’s first drone flight should not be when shooting a story.

• REGULATIONS AND PUBLIC SPACES: A drone pilot must follow the regulations that apply to the airspace where the drone is used.

• PRIVACY: Use of a drone must never compromise the privacy of non-public figures. VOA journalists should not use images of private citizens in private spaces that are encountered beyond the scope of their stories.

Drones will be standardized as specified by VOA TV Operations, adhering to all federal drone purchasing guidelines and/or mandates. TV Operations will inventory and house them in Washington, D.C. or selected domestic bureaus. Drones will be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (https://registermyuas.faa.gov/) in the name of VOA. Like other VOA technical equipment, purchases of drones will be approved in advance by TV Operations.

VOA WILL NOT OWN AND OPERATE DRONES OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/ https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/Part_107_Summary.pdf mailto:jlippman@voanews.com mailto:sspringer@voanews.com http://www.dronejournalism.org/ https://registermyuas.faa.gov/

JUNE 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 28

Unlike the FAA in the U.S., neither the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) nor the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have established general usage or legal guidelines for drone operations.

Regulations vary from country to country, frequently change, and may not yet be established. For instance, there is no listing of drone regulations for Iran. However, the Global Drone Regulations Database, is an international directory containing summaries of countries’ drone laws, if known.

VOA journalists requiring a drone outside the U.S. will need to rent drone services from a pilot/operator licensed for the particular country in which the shoot is planned. They will also be expected to search the database to make sure VOA will not inadvertently violate regulations for the country in which the shoot is planned.

Contracting for drone services outside the country, like contracting for other external services, should be requested in advance from VOA Broadcast Operations, which will work with the IBB Office of Contracts to arrange services. Once drone services are secured, Language Services should advise the Deputy Program Director (jlippman@voanews.com) or the News Standards & Best Practices Editor (sspringer@voanews.com) of the name of the drone pilot and the drone’s registration information.

• Nothing in this section prevents VOA journalists from obtaining drone footage taken by non- VOA personnel who have acted independently of VOA.

User-generated drone video will be governed by the same standards and verifications as other independently gathered video used by VOA, prior to its use.

(Also see User-Generated Content, p. 92)

THE DRONE CREW

There are three operations roles in drone flight: Pilot, Observer, and Journalist. Although a single individual can fill all three roles, VOA will normally have at least two people involved in any drone flight:

a Pilot and a combination Observer/Journalist.

• PILOT: Responsible for all flight operations and the ultimate authority on any flight. The Pilot determines if the aircraft is airworthy and capable of conducting the proposed operations in the available airspace, and is responsible for conducting operations within all FAA regulations (and any restrictions set forth by a “grant of exemption” from the FAA). The Pilot must brief the other members of the crew about the specifics of the mission, their roles and responsibilities, and what is expected of them before, during and after flight operations. The Pilot – the person holding the FAA-issued Part 107 certificate – is by regulation the final authority on whether the drone flies or not. The Pilot’s decision on flight safety is final.

• OBSERVER: Responsible for monitoring the operational area to ensure that there are no hazards that may endanger the flight or people. The Observer is the only member of the team who should speak to the Pilot during flight operations. The Observer is to alert the Pilot if any aircraft come into the area, or if any person or vehicle comes near the operation. The Observer should remain within speaking distance of the Pilot.

• JOURNALIST: Responsible for communicating flight goals before the flight and verifying results after the drone lands. Defines the aerial elements needed for the story, but is subordinate to the Pilot, who has responsibility for determining if the Journalist’s goals are possible under the conditions presented.

http://www.droneregulations.info/ http://www.droneregulations.info/ mailto:jlippman@voanews.com mailto:sspringer@voanews.com

JUNE 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 29

FLIGHT OPERATIONS

VOA drone pilots should use the checklists at ALOFT.AI. Pre-trip and pre-flight inspections help ensure airworthiness and will serve as an early warning for both maintenance issues and for mechanical issues that could substantially affect or cancel flight operations or safety.

PRE-TRIP: Pre-trip and prior to embarking on any drone operation, the Pilot must gather information about the proposed flight area to ensure operations comply with FAA safety regulations. The Pilot should view publicly available aerial images of the area or personally conduct a site survey that will enable him/her to answer questions about the proposed flight location and be confident of success in the mission, including:

• What is there?

• Are there hazards to aviation?

• What airspace is it in?

• Do we need permission from air traffic control (ATC)?

• Are we flying on or over private property? Do we have permission of the landowner to operate there?

• How many people might be in or around the area? What is our plan to prevent flight over people?

• How high above sea level is the location? How will the altitude affect the performance of your drone during flight?

Prior to the day of the shoot, the Pilot and Observer/Journalist should meet to define the goals of the drone shoot and specific mission goals, including:

• What shots do you need (specific expected shots, angles, or subjects)?

• What purpose is the drone serving in your story?

• What context is the drone adding to your story?

• How much drone video or photograph do you need to tell the story?

• What privacy issues can you anticipate and what steps have you taken to lessen them?

• What the operations area looks like.

• What the expected weather will be.

• Any known hazards.

Prior to the shoot itself, the Pilot should also practice with the drone assigned for use.

https://www.aloft.ai/

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PRE-FLIGHT: Pre-flight operations are done immediately before any flight work is to occur. The pre-flight checklist repeats some of the pre-trip checklist, such as inspecting the aircraft and some of the control surfaces. On the day of the shoot, before leaving for the operations area, the Pilot should conduct a pre-trip inspection of the drone, including:

• Charging batteries.

• That there are sufficient fully charged batteries to compensate for the possible effects of temperature on the batteries.

• Checking various mounting hardware.

• Checking the camera and storage media to ensure it is sufficient for the shoot.

• Verifying that weather parameters are within FAA Part 107 minimums, as determined by consulting an aviation weather forecast or weather report (METAR) or from obtaining a flight briefing from Flight Services.

• Verifying that the Journalist has informed local police or fire agencies that we will be using news-gathering drones.

Once on site, the Pilot will conduct the pre-flight inspection, connect the batteries, etc., and delineate a takeoff and landing area of at least 10 feet x 10 feet and ensure it is free of debris. S/he may also assign the Journalist or other VOA personnel on site to ensure that bystanders don’t walk into either the takeoff/landing zone or under the drone’s flight path.

IN FLIGHT: The “In Flight” checklist isn't really a checklist. It's a “Do Constantly” list, noted as a reminder for all journalists using drones. While in flight, personnel involved in the shoot must:

• Be constantly scanning for airborne traffic or obstacles. The Observer (in most cases, the Journalist) must report them immediately to the Pilot.

• Be constantly scanning for people on the ground in the flight area. The Observer must report them immediately to the Pilot.

• Be constantly checking battery levels, ensuring that the drone is returned to the landing area before reaching 25% of capacity remaining.

• Be constantly checking flight parameters such as altitude to ensure they remain within restrictions and operational goals.

Any changes to the operational plan should be discussed only at the time of battery changes.

POST-FLIGHT:

ALL…