2021-1119-NEWS-STANDARDS.pdf

NOVEMBER 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

NOVEMBER 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

-ATTRIBUTION OF OUTSIDE SOURCE S 14

-RUMORS & SPE CULATION 16

-CRE DIT ING THE NE WSFE E D PROV IDE RS 17

-BYLINE S 19

-PLAGIARISM 22

- INTE RV IE WS -VOA BE ATS 24

- INTE RV IE WS -GE NE RAL GUIDANCE 27

-PUBLIC F IGURE S 29

-ANONYMITY 30

-AMBUSH INTE RV IE WS 32

-ADV ANCE SCRIPTS/SCRE E NING 32

-SUBJ E CT RE CORDING INTE RV IE W 32

-RE QUE STS FOR UNAIRE D/UNPUBLISHE D MATE RIAL 32

-PAYME NT 32

-DRONE S 33

-H IDDE N CAME RAS & M ICROPHONE S 38

-SE NSIT IV E & GRAPHIC MATE RIAL 38

-COV E RING WAR/COV E RING TE RRORISM 39

-V IDE O & AUDIO OF TE RRORISTS , HOSTAGE S OR PRISONE RS 40

-THRE ATS TO JOURNALISTS 41

-COV E RING PROTE STS/DE MONSTRATIONS 41

-COV E RING MASS SHOOTINGS 42

-COV E RING CRIMINAL ACTIV ITY 43

-HOSTAGE/BARRICADE S ITUATIONS 43

-NAMING PEOPLE INV OLV E D IN CRIME S 44

-IDE NTIFYING M INORS 44

-COV E RING & RE PORTING SUICIDE S 45

-BRE AKING NE WS 46

-RE PORTING CROWD ESTIMATE S 46

-STAGING & RE -CRE ATIONS 46

-USING VOA EMPLOYE E S OR RE LATIV ES FOR STORIE S 47

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS – NEWS STANDARDS

GUESTS

-NOTIFYING VOA SE NIOR MANAGE ME NT OF H IGH-LE V E L GUE STS 48

-SE CURITY PROCE DURE S FOR GUE STS 48

-ADV ISING THE GUE ST BOOKING EMAIL GROUP 49

-HOSTING A GUE ST ON VOA PROGRAMS 50

DOMESTIC D ISTRIBUTION OF VOA CONTENT

-SMITH-MUNDT RE GULATIONS 52

-USAGE RE QUE STS 52

-TALKING ABOUT VOA CONTE NT & PROGRAMMING 53

-DOME STIC RE CRUITME NT , ENHANCING VOA’S CR E DIBIL ITY 54

-SUMMARY 55

CORRECTIONS 56

LEGAL ISSUES

-VOA EDITORIAL F IRE WALL 58

-COPYRIGHT & FAIR USE 60

-TRADE MARK 61

-F ILMING IN PUBLIC V S . PRIV ATE PLACE S 62

-PROOF OF INSURANCE 62

-DE FAMATION/PRIV ACY/FALSE L IGHT 62

-RE PORTE R ’S PRIV ILE GE & CONFIDE NTIAL SOURCE S 64

-RE PORTING ON CLASSIFIE D DOCUME NTS 64

-SUBPOE NAS OR RE QUE STS FOR TE STIMONY OR DOCUME NTS 65

- INTE RNATIONAL TRAV E L BY VOA STAFF 65

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

-OUTSIDE EMPLOYME NT GUIDE LINE S 66

-OUTSIDE PUBLIC APPE ARANCE S GUIDE LINE S 68

-GUIDE LINE S FOR NO N-PSC CONTRACTORS & OVERSE AS STRINGE RS 68

-ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE 69

-COMPE TIT IONS AND CASH AWARDS 70

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TABLE OF CONTENTS – BEST PRACTICES

V IDEO USAGE RIGHTS

-COMMON FE ATURE S 71

-ABC NE WS 73

-AGE NCE FRANCE PRE SSE (AFP) 74

-ASSOCIATE D PRE SS (AP) 75

-RE UTE RS 76

-NE WS AGE NCY IDS & THE DO T 78

-ADDING AN AGE NCY ID/DOT IN PRE MIE RE PRO 81

-ADDING AN AGE NCY ID/DOT IN GALAXY 83

-NE WSMARKE T 85

-USING CONTE NT FROM STATE-RUN ME DIA 86

-V IDE O NE WS RE LE ASE S (VNRS) 88

D IGITAL MEDIA

-YO UTUBE GUIDE LINE S 89

-USE R-GE NE RATE D CONTE NT 93

-RE VE ALING WE BSITE S & ADDRE SSE S 96

-AFFIL IATE/RE CIPROCAL L INKS 96

MUSIC

-GE NE RAL GUIDE LINE S 97

-COPYRIGHT GUIDE LINE S 97

AUDIO USAGE R IGHTS

-AUDIO CLIPS FROM TV NETWORKS 98

PHOTOGRAPHS

-GE NE RAL RULE S 100

-EDITING PHOTOGRAPHS 101

-PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS 101

-TE CHNICAL T IPS 101

-SE NDING PHOTO F ILE S 102

-CAPTIONS/CRE DITS 102

APPENDIX

-PROHIBITE D ITE MS 104

-CONTROL ROOM EME RGE NCY PROCE DURE S 104

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 106

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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/

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 6

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. 59)

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 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.

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 8

• 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 are given equal consideration and without favor to any one 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. 39)

• 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. 52)

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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. 93)

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. 56)

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.

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 14

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. 17 and Plagiarism, p. 22)

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. 56)

One method of providing attribution is in the use of hyperlinks. In the example below, the New York Times provided links to the original source of the information.

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.”

THIS IS MANDATORY FOR ALL VOA WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.

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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.

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.

http://www.opensource.gov/

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 17

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. 71 and News Agency IDs and the Dot, p. 78)

• 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

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 18

• 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. 102) https://www.voanews.com/usa/blinken-heads-europe-boost-alliances https://www.voanews.com/usa/blinken-heads-europe-boost-alliances

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 19

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.

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 20

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

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 21

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

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 22

PLAGIARISM

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

• The News Standards and Best Practices Editor shall determine whether an allegation of plagiarism is credible and shall inform the VOA Director, the Director of Programming, Division Director and Service Chief.

• In such instances, the content should be immediately taken down, 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 permanently removed. 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 UNETHICAL AND STRIKES AT THE HEART OF OUR

JOURNALISTIC MISSION

IT CAN COST THE INDIVIDUAL, YOUR SERVICE 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

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 23

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/

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 24

INTERVIEWS – VOA BEATS

PRESIDENT, VP & SPOUSES, CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS, CABINET OFFICIALS,

UNITED NATIONS

VOA interview requests for the President and Vice President, majority and minority leaders of Congress, Cabinet secretaries, the U.N. Secretary General and deputy secretary are usually sent via the VOA Director’s Office or News Center senior management. If a language service wants an interview with one of these top officials, please work through your service chief and division director to relay the request through the correct VOA channels.

VOA Public Relations (PublicRelations@voanews.com) should be notified when we get an interview with the President, Vice President, First Lady, VP’s spouse, key Cabinet secretaries, Congressional leadership, or the UN Secretary General.

OTHER WHITE HOUSE INTERVIEWS

Designated language service White House beat reporters can email the White House press office and spokesperson questions on topics in the news, but they must copy the News Center White House correspondents. Language services without designated White House reporters should email the News Center correspondents directly for help getting official responses to questions.

The News Center correspondents -- Patsy Widakuswara (pwidakus@voanews.com) and Anita Powell (apowell@voanews.com) -- should be copied on interview requests with the White House spokesperson and any senior officials on the National Security Council.

STATE DEPARTMENT

Designated language service State Department beat reporters can email the State Department press office and spokesperson with questions on topics in the news, but they must copy the News Center correspondents Nike Ching (nching@voanews.com) and Cindy Saine (cspang@voanews.com). Language services without designated State Department reporters can email the News Center correspondents directly for help in getting official responses to questions, copying in the Coverage Desk (coverage-desk@voanews.com).

Interview requests with Assistant Secretaries of State and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State should first be coordinated with your division director to ensure multiple services interested in a regional news development are coordinating their outreach and not duplicating requests. When language service reporters then reach out to these officials, please copy Nike and Cindy so they are aware of your request.

CONGRESS

For Congressional committee chairs, language services should copy Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson (kgypson@voanews.com). For other lawmakers, reporters can reach out without notifying the correspondent. However, ANY newsworthy quotes from members of Congress should be shared with the house on WashingtonNewsGroup@voanews.com as soon as possible.

mailto:PublicRelations@voanews.com mailto:pwidakus@voanews.com mailto:apowell@voanews.com mailto:nching@voanews.com mailto:cspang@voanews.com mailto:coverage-desk@voanews.com mailto:coverage-desk@voanews.com mailto:kgypson@voanews.com mailto:WashingtonNewsGroup@voanews.com

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 25

PENTAGON / NSA / CIA / ODNI / FBI / DOJ

Interview requests for US Combatant Commands (https://www.defense.gov/Our-Story/Combatant- Commands/) should copy Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb (cbabb@voanews.com) and National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin (jseldin@voanews.com) so they are aware of the request.

Intelligence agency heads rarely grant interviews, so you must consult with Jeff Seldin on such requests.

Requests for FBI officials should copy Jeff; requests for Justice Department officials should copy Justice Correspondent Masood Farivar (mfarivar@voanews.com).

WHO TO CONTACT

VOA correspondents at the White House, State Department, Pentagon and other Washington newsbeats, as well as at the United Nations, regularly help language service reporters who are seeking on-the-record comments from U.S. and other officials.

MONDAY THRU FRIDAY

• When seeking official comment please write to the designated correspondents on each beat and copy coverage-desk@voanews.com.

Copying the Coverage Desk helps ensure your question is not overlooked, helps avoid duplication and alerts editors to hot stories. The correspondents can determine who on their beat is the best person to contact.

Because Congress has so many lawmakers, language services can reach out on their own for routine news questions. Remember though, that Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson can be a resource for services with Hill reporting questions.

White House: 202-632-4955 Patsy Widakuswara (pwidakus@voanews.com) Anita Powell (apowell@voanews.com)

State Department: 202-632-0312 Nike Ching (nching@voanews.com) Cindy Saine (cspang@voanews.com)

Pentagon: 703-557-5862 Carla Babb (cbabb@voanews.com) Jeff Seldin (jseldin@voanews.com)

Congress: House Booth: 202-226-4476 Senate Booth: 202-472-1129 Katherine Gypson (kgypson@voanews.com

NSA/CIA/ODNI/FBI: Jeff Seldin (jseldin@voanews.com) FBI/DOJ: Masood Farivar (mfarivar@voanews.com) https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.defense.gov%2FOur-Story%2FCombatant-Commands%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbnewhouse%40voanews.com%7C0c43c60d11804218159308d9149dc213%7Cba99e87c673541c2b1c1354eee3a8659%7C0%7C0%7C637563490079424742%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=jOh8zybDEJxuREd8aOYClDDj3l%2B2I2CPX6lC4t%2Bzjk4%3D&reserved=0 https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.defense.gov%2FOur-Story%2FCombatant-Commands%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cbnewhouse%40voanews.com%7C0c43c60d11804218159308d9149dc213%7Cba99e87c673541c2b1c1354eee3a8659%7C0%7C0%7C637563490079424742%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=jOh8zybDEJxuREd8aOYClDDj3l%2B2I2CPX6lC4t%2Bzjk4%3D&reserved=0 mailto:cbabb@voanews.com mailto:jseldin@voanews.com mailto:mfarivar@voanews.com mailto:coverage-desk@voanews.com mailto:pwidakus@voanews.com mailto:apowell@voanews.com mailto:nching@voanews.com mailto:cspang@voanews.com mailto:cbabb@voanews.com mailto:jseldin@voanews.com mailto:kgypson@voanews.com mailto:jseldin@voanews.com mailto:mfarivar@voanews.com

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 26

NIGHTS & WEEKENDS

If there’s an urgent news development outside of regular business hours and you need a fast response you can contact State or the Pentagon, but you must copy the relevant correspondents and the Coverage Desk. Frequently US embassies may be a better contact for gathering quick comments on overseas developments.

State Department: 202-647-2492 // 815AM- 900PM (M-F) & 800AM-8PM (S/S/Holidays) PAPressDuty@state.gov **Reminder – if you email PAPressDuty you must copy in the State Department correspondents so they are aware of your submitted question.

Pentagon: 703-697-5131 // 800AM-500PM M-F

Other Agencies: Most agencies do not staff for press inquiries on nights and weekends. Please check with the assigned beat correspondent for more info.

(Also see Advising the Guest Booking Email Group, p. 50)

MAJOR EVENTS

VOA holds coverage planning meetings ahead scheduled major events such as the U.N. General Assembly, the Academy Awards, State of the Union, G7 and G20 meetings, U.S. elections and other major news events. News Center Planning Editor Jamisha Purdy uses those planning meetings to look ahead to upcoming coverage, solicit feedback from language services looking for particular interviews and story angles, and coordinates on-site coverage among VOA teams to avoid duplication and miscommunication.

MUSIC/HOLLYWOOD/ENTERTAINMENT

For interviews with popular musicians, VOA reporters should coordinate with correspondent Larry London, who has a long-running beat interviewing major music acts. For Hollywood and television actors and directors, please coordinate with film correspondent Penelope Poulou. As with any of the newsbeats, it does not make VOA look good if a studio or a musician’s or filmmaker’s press person is hearing from multiple VOA individuals.

If a language service is thinking of interviewing a major musician or musical group or looking to arrange an interview with a film personality who is on a junket or making an appearance in a bureau city, an advisory e-mail should go out first to Larry or Penelope accordingly, and to Guest Booking.

By the same token, when Larry, Penelope, or anyone else has a major music interview or movie-related interview scheduled, they should advise the Guest Booking e-mail group.

mailto:PAPressDuty@state.gov

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 27

INTERVIEWS – GENERAL GUIDANCE

Even in the era of selfies, photobombing and user-generated content, most people are not comfortable being interviewed and consider recording equipment to be invasive, especially when you’re dealing with sensitive subjects. One way to reduce that unease or tension is to first talk to an interview subject WITHOUT the equipment. Put the person at ease; make him or her feel comfortable talking to you before proceeding with the actual interview.

When setting up an interview, the subject may ask what questions will be asked or how the interview will be presented. It’s OK to outline in advance general points of interest and the general subject areas you intend to cover.

DO NOT

• PROVIDE ACTUAL QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED

• PROMISE YOU WILL NOT ASK QUESTIONS OUTSIDE THE AREAS YOU HAVE OUTLINED

• PROMISE HOW SUBJECTS WILL BE TREATED ON THE AIR

Any agreement that certain questions will or will not be asked will be decided on a case-by-case basis in consultation with your supervisor and/or VOA senior management as warranted. Table of Contents

If an agreement is approved, the agreement should be mentioned in the introduction to the interview.

If an interviewee requires VOA to use a name or title we ordinarily would not use, that too should be mentioned in the introduction to the interview.

DO NOT PROMISE THAT

• VOA WILL AIR THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW OR A PORTION OF IT IN A TV PROGRAM, OR AS

PART OF A TV PACKAGE

• THAT THE INTERVIEWEE WILL BE ABLE TO FIND ALL OR PART OF THE INTERVIEW ON A

VOA WEBSITE

• THAT ANY PART OF THE INTERVIEW WILL BE INCLUDED IN A TV PROGRAM OR TV

PACKAGE, OR WITH A WEB STORY OR BLOG

(Also see Hosting a Guest on VOA Programs, p. 50)

NEWSMAKER INTERVIEWS

When VOA interviews a prominent newsmaker at length, the purpose is to find out what an individual, organization or group of lawmakers are thinking about a particular issue. This type of interview does not always require that the other side be presented within the interview format.

Instead, a video piece or a brief explainer can be used to set up the topic or topics being discussed, and that can be how the other side’s point of view is presented. Another possibility is reading copy following the interview stating the opposition’s view.

Ultimately, it is advisable to seek out a corresponding interview at length with someone from the other side of the issue.

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 28

MAN ON THE STREET INTERVIEWS

Like many news organizations, we use “man on the street” interviews to give our audiences a sense of the mood or opinions of Americans about issues of the day. At best they are highly random samples and should not be presented as the definitive views of the American public.

For instance, if a language service receives soundbites from Hoboken, Tampa, Des Moines and Seattle and uses them in an anchored segment about U.S voter opinions, the copy should indicate that it is an unscientific poll and is not representative of all American voters.

On the other hand, if the News Center or a language service interviews a few residents of Hoboken and cut those bites into a piece, the track could say, "As we walked through Hoboken, we found a variety of views about the presidential race."

RECORDING TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS

If you are planning to record a telephone interview, the reporter or producer MUST advise the interview subject that he or she is being recorded, and that their comments will be on the record. If the interview subject objects to being recorded, the reporter or producer should ask whether the interview can be used as off the record information.

(Also see Defamation/Privacy/False Light, p. 62)

SHOOTING/EDITING TV INTERVIEWS

When shooting a two-camera interview, it’s acceptable for a reporter to register appropriate visual expressions, such as smiling at a joke. What is NOT acceptable is editing in a visual reaction that is out of sequence to the answer being given.

Equally unacceptable is separating questions from answers. The 10th answer of an interview should not be edited as if it were the response to the 4th question, even if it seems to make the reporter’s or producer’s editorial point clearer.

Interviews shot with one camera can present editing difficulties, so when possible, the camera should be set up to start the interview on a medium 2-shot. That will allow the cameraperson to push in on the interview subject, pan to the interviewer and pull back to the 2-shot as needed.

If the above method isn’t possible, then reverse questions (questions asked after the interview is done, with the camera reversed to tape the interviewer), while not ideal, are allowed. Reverse questions should be true to the original questions and if done, the interviewee or representative should be made aware and should be invited to be present.

In this situation, because the reverse shots are happening after the actual interview, the reporter or producer should avoid showing an expression (smile, frown, nod) that might be seen as agreement or disagreement with what the subject said during the interview.

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWS STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES 29

PUBLIC FIGURES

Reporting about the private lives of public figures should be relevant to the story. For example, the questioning is appropriate when the reporting is intended to expose inconsistency, lying, hypocrisy and illegal activity. In the case of candidates for public office, information about these actions often enables voters to judge the character of a candidate or elected official.

However, VOA’s reporting should not be based on rumor, speculation or gossip. Reporting should rely on on the record statements and actions of public figures. Information from normally reliable sources not willing to be identified should be very closely examined.

(Also see Rumors &…