Journalists’ Fair Use Principles Fight Self-censorship

It's official! The Set of Principles in Fair Use for Journalism has launched with Center director Pat Aufderheide's TEDx talk at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. You can follow the conversation on the Center's Twitter feed or with hashtags #fairuse and #journalism.

Created for journalist and by journalists, the Set of Principles is a tool to help reporters decide when it is OK to use content from the web, social media, podcasts and beyond, without permission or payment. The principles outline seven situations in which journalists routinely can and do employ fair use, describing both how fair use applies and its limits.

Today's launch includes the full text of the Principles with a downloadable PDF at centerforsocialmedia.org/journalism. You'll also find handy links to testimonials, background info, FAQs complete with video, examples and more.

Dave Cohn, founder/director of Spot.Us and director of news at Circa, says, "Every web-native journalist needs to know how to use copyright law, and this set of principles reduces risk while encouraging the highest standards in cutting edge journalism."

The Set of Principles was shaped with the help of chapters of the Society for Professional Journalists, Online News Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. It has endorsement from, among others, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, Association of Alternative Newsmedia, J-Lab, MediaShift, National Association of Black Journalists Digital Journalism Task Force, National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, New America Media, and the Poynter Institute.

Help us spread the word of this new tool for journalists working in any medium!

Some handy Twitter and Facebook friendly options:

Journalists created Principles in Fair Use for Journalism--whew! #fairuse #journalism http://bit.ly/13g8Wm7

Journalists’ Fair Use Principles fight self-censorship #fairuse #journalism http://bit.ly/13g8Wm7

Proud of being a part of this: Helping journos use copyright more effectively #fairuse #journalism http://bit.ly/13g8Wm7