Scenarios

Test your editorial awareness with our news scenarios, which are all based on real situations faced by journalists.

Public interest – scenario

Scenarios

Covering a tragedy – scenario

Scenarios

Journalistic ethics – scenario

Right of reply – scenario

Emotional pressure – scenario

Interviewing integrity – scenario

Informed consent – scenario

Photo journalism – scenario

In this scenario a reporter tells the newsdesk that she has a strong news story only to find that the facts were not as they seemed.

Legal threats – scenario

In this scenario a local newspaper reporter faces legal threats for a factual planning application report that lacked the applicant's demanded "positive spin."

Public interest – scenario

This scenario looks at some of the issues that need to be considered when deciding whether a story is in the public interest.

Doorstepping – scenario

You are a local newspaper reporter sent out to doorstep a bereaved family but you lie to your news editor because you are reluctant to intrude on their grief.

Covering a tragedy – scenario

In this scenario we look at how a journalist should act when they witness a tragedy unfolding and have to decide whether to help, or to stand by and report.

Accuracy – scenario

In this scenario a reporter witnesses a mass walkout of workers from a factory affected by industrial action. The company claims it's business as usual; the union says all workers have downed tools.

Journalistic ethics – scenario

In this scenario a reporter feels ethically compromised after accepting hospitality from a developer who subsequently pressured them for favourable coverage.