PROCEDURES

1. Accuracy

A. WMOT Radio requires of all material it transmits:

1. Through Research - Even if the time on the air for a particular matter is only a few minutes, those minutes must reflect a full understanding of the material presented. We expect our staff to know a great deal more about a subject than can possibly get on the air.

2. Careful Writing. WMOT Radio’s writing style is conversational, even colloquial, but it is not careless. WMOT Radio expects short, conversational sentences and a narrative style. But most important, the writing must be precise, conveying exactly what is meant.

3. Professional Production. Among WMOT Radio’s stated goals is the commitment to advance the radio art. This does not mean every piece of material transmitted must be an elaborate production. It does mean that techniques most appropriate for conveying the material desired should be employed and that they must be carefully executed.

4. Sensitive Editing. Any piece of tape can be cut. The art of editing is based on the premise that the effectiveness of taped material can be improved. In tape, as in writing, the concise statement communicates better than the all-inclusive statement.

• WMOT Radio expects the editing to enhance communication by highlighting meaning. It must never distort meaning or destroy the overall balance of the piece. In all cases, integrity of time, place, source and content must be respected.

2. Neutrality

A. WMOT Radio:

1. As an organization never expresses an editorial view.

2. Expects its staff to be as objective as humanly possible. In simplest terms, objectivity means not allowing personal feelings or value judgments to distort one’s description of reality. Although objectivity in journalism is much debated, WMOT Radio believes a rather clear line can be drawn between thorough, analytical, but objective, reporting and subjective editorializing.

• Most often, WMOT Radio will turn to individuals with special knowledge in the area under discussion for this analysis, but in situations in which members of the staff, through experience and research, possess such special knowledge, those individuals a re expected to present their interpretations. Even such disciplined analysis, however, must be offered to the listener somewhat tentatively, and will be clearly identified as interpretation.

3. Staff members do not engage in "advocacy journalism." If, as a result of facts and interpretations presented by the station, a listener comes to some conclusion, fine.

• Staff does not select subjects with the preconceived intent to convert listeners to a specific point of view, and they do not tailor information, contrary to objective facts, to lead listeners to a preconceived conclusion. This is not to say material must be so presented that the listener can reach no conclusion at all. What we demand is that our staff accurately and fairly describe a given event or situation, neither embellishing the facts to encourage the listener to reach a given conclusion, nor obscuring the facts to prevent him from doing so.

4. In addition to objectivity on the part of the staff, WMOT Radio’s spirit of neutrality requires that our microphones be available to all responsible points of view without discrimination. Since, as a practical matter, we cannot provide access to liter ally everyone in the community, we have established guidelines for selecting broadcast material and interview guests.

a. By definition, journalism deals in the new and unique. WMOT Radio applies that standard to all material, including the performance programs, considered for broadcast. We ask if the material to be presented will give listeners something they have not h ad before, and whether it is significant. If both criteria are met, we assume it will be interesting. WMOT Radio seeks out the new, the unique, and the significant in many fields.

b. A second type of material given preference by WMOT Radio is the case study or typical example. In a sense, this is the opposite of the unique standard just discussed, but in many instances it is more important for the listener to understand what is common around him than what is unique. This criterion, however, does not contradict the preceding one nor does it open our microphones to the commonplace.

• In presenting the everyday problem, or the everyday occurrence, we always try to do so in a manner that sheds new light on the situation. This means allowing the listener to perceive the occurrence from a different is angle or, at the minimum, exposing what some find commonplace, for whom it may otherwise be unfamiliar.

c. To the above standards, we apply a third. Is the material readily available elsewhere? If it is, WMOT Radio’s treatment of it will be minimal or approached from a unique angle. If it is not, we will attempt to give it special emphasis.

d. Similarly, we assess the material’s suitability for radio. Some types of information are particularly effective when presented in a visual or print medium. If material lends itself to audio presentation, we may be less rigorous in applying the preceding standards than for material that is less effectively presented on radio.

e. The general policy of WMOT Radio is to choose material that represents the "best of its kind." Whether it be music, contemporary drama, or conservative social commentary, we seek out the example, the performer, or the spokesperson held in highest regard by those who know the field well. Such standards are admittedly imprecise and subject to personal taste, but they remain an ideal. In instances in which we are asking individuals to voice opinions, we are particularly careful that we present qualified opinion. That qualification to speak out on a subject may derive from:

1. The Primary Source — the personal involvement in a situation. In this case, we recognize the individual’s biases for what they are and attempt to balance them with views of other involved individuals with different points of view, or

2. The Disinterested Source — professional study of the situation. In this case, we expect the "expert" to take an objective rather than an advocacy position, but still seek balance, recognizing that sharp disagreement often exists between even the most objective authorities.

f. Finally, we judge material against previously presented material on the same subject. If it tends to reiterate what we have already broadcast, we reject it. If it offers a contrast to what we have already presented, we are likely to accept it.

• When an individual is attacked personally, it is WMOT Radio’s duty to offer him time to reply; when one side of a question is presented, similar opportunities are offered to those holding other views on that question. Our mission is to present a spectrum of broad and varied views. WMOT Radio does not take the position that there are two sides to every story.

• We know that every situation or controversy has a multitude of sides, and we require that all significant opinions on any subject that we present be included in the same program or series.

3. Integrity

A. In being honest with our audience, WMOT Radio;

1. Always identifies the source of information. We do so as fully as possible, almost always insisting that the name of the source be used. In those few instances in which the only way to obtain information is to withhold the identity of the source, WMOT Radio attributes the source fully enough so the audience can evaluate its credibility. In no instance, however, do we present information from an unidentified source who is unknown to us or not known to be reliable.

2. Is careful to identify material that is taped when it might appear to be live.

3. Avoids any re-enactment or staged event that might be mistaken for an actual event. The presence of a microphone makes any event to some degree "artificial," but WMOT Radio scrupulously avoids "staging" events that might be interpreted as spontaneous, and tries to clearly identify as such coverage which is pre-arranged.

B. In being honest with sources, WMOT Radio:

1. Resists any attempt by outside agencies to obtain the names of confidential sources, un-broadcast tapes or journalists’ notes.

2. Rejects the use of concealed microphones or recorded telephone conversations in which the individual involved is not aware that he is being recorded.

3. Makes certain that the individual submitting to an interview by WMOT Radio or otherwise submitting material to the station is fully aware of how the material will be used. The individual must be told that his material will be edited, and be informed i n advance of the context in which the material is to be presented. Having once obtained material under these conditions, however, WMOT Radio does not allow contributors to retract permission to broadcast the material or have a voice in its editing.

4. Propriety

A. While standards of propriety do change, WMOT Radio has established the following guidelines:

1. On all occasions, staff will behave with dignity and maintain decorum in dress and grooming appropriate to the situation. In any case, the manner of dress and decorum should be that it facilitates rather than inhibits rapport with our sources. However, that rapport may not be carried to such an extreme that our staff actually becomes a participant in the event he is covering. Our role is that of unobtrusive observer.

2. WMOT Radio staffs, and those representing the station, take a very conservative attitude in the language they themselves use on the air. Language that might be offensive to even a small percentage of our audience is avoided.

3. A considerably less rigid standard applies to guests and works of art. In both cases, we are serving as vehicles for the self-expression of others, and some of the emotions and thoughts expressed may require the use of language by a guest or in a work of art that is not universally acceptable. In such instances language must:

a. Be necessary to the accurate portrayal of the thought or emotion involved, so that the omission of the language would violate the artistic or journalistic integrity of the material.

b. Grow naturally out of the situation or character portrayed rather than be inserted for the sake of sensationalism or with the intention to shock.

4. No subject or idea is too shocking to be discussed intelligently on WMOT Radio, even though the idea or subject may be repugnant to part of the audience. WMOT Radio does not needlessly shock or embarrass. We deal with a subject or an idea when there i s something to be said about it. We insist that the discussion be conducted in the language that is least offensive to the general audience consistent with accuracy of thought and emotion. These standards apply to any material broadcast by WMOT Radio. They are applied with particular care when dealing with subject matter that some might regard as offensive.