Memorials scheduled for former Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell

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Sourcing of Article Awkward for Paper

Facing criticism for publishing the work of a start-up news organization, The Washington Post reported Tuesday that it should have disclosed more about the group’s financier and his connections, and the paper’s ombudsman said he was looking into the relationship.

The start-up, The Fiscal Times, covers economic issues, with a particular focus on the federal budget, the growing deficit and efforts to rein in health care and Social Security spending. Its financing was provided by Peter G. Peterson, the billionaire investment banker who advocates deficit reduction and restrictions on entitlement programs.

On Dec. 31, The Post published the first news article …

Journalists dying for the story

Over the past decade, more than 750 journalists and media employees have been murdered worldwide. It’s a reminder that the information we depend on from around the world is not without cost.

It’s a sad reality that far too many journalists around the globe have been killed for their work. But the fact that some courageous and committed journalists are willing to die for their stories is indeed a story worth telling.

Times standards, staffers or not

It’s not easy for The Times to ensure that freelancers, who contribute a substantial portion of the paper’s content, abide by ethics guidelines that editors believe are self-evident and essential to the paper’s credibility but that writers sometimes don’t think about, or don’t think apply to their circumstances, or believe are unfair or unrealistic. Some writers do not read the guidelines carefully, and although they are encouraged to raise possible conflicts of interest with an editor, some don’t tell and are not asked.

Post looks to enhance appeal to online, print readers

The Washington Post just ended one of the most tumultuous years in its 132-year history. More early-retirement buyouts depleted its staff, the print and online operations were integrated, the newspaper underwent its most extensive redesign in more than a decade, and an ill-fated plan to sell sponsorships of off-the-record dinners involving the newsroom damaged the paper’s journalistic integrity.

Can readers anticipate a less turbulent 2010?