Milo Yiannopoulos

Exposed:TheSecretMailingListoftheGamingJournalismElite

Reviewdraftedby:TheSentinel

TRUTH6|AVOIDANCEOFHARM8|INDEPENDENCE20|TRANSPARENCY0
34/100

Seek Truth and Report It

4 out of 16 Goals Achieved. 6/25 Points awarded.
Takeresponsibilityfortheaccuracyoftheirwork.Verifyinformationbeforereleasingit.Useoriginalsources
wheneverpossible.

CitesGameJournoProsGoogleGroupasasourceonclaimHighprofileeditors,reporters,
andreviewersfromheavyweightgamingnewssitesustheprivateGoogleGroupsmailinglist...
Thisisanoriginalsource.

CitesKotakuarticleauthoredbyNathanGraysonasasourceonclaim[NathanGrayson]
mentioned[ZoeQuinn]andherproductsinhisreporting.Thisisasecondarysource.

CitesBreitbartarticleauthoredbyMiloYiannopoulosasasourcetodescribe...theZoe
Quinnscandal.Thisisasecondarysource.

CitesphotopublishedbyBreitbartLondonasasourceonclaimKyleOrland
[discussed]theZoeQuinnScandal.Thisisanoriginalsource.

CitesBreitbartarticleauthoredbyNoahDulisasasourceonclaim...[SomeVideogame
journalists]havelong[been]suspected[of]apersistentbiasandunusuallevelsofcooperation
andcoordinationfromseniorjournalists.Thisisasecondarysource.

CitesphotopublishedbyBreitbartLondonasasourceonclaimPolygoneditorBen
KucheraisseenonthelistofferingsupporttoQuinnandchidingotherwritersfornotactivelydoing
thesame.Thisisanoriginalsource.

CitesphotoarticlepublishedbyBreitbartLondonasasourceonclaimJasonSchreier,a
seniorwriteratKotaku,canbeseendefendingNathanGrayson,thejournalistwhoadmittedto
beginningasexualrelationshipwithZoeQuinn...Thisisanoriginalsource.

CitesphotopublishedbyBreitbartLondonasasourceonclaimAlsoonthesecret
mailinglistareJamesFudge,managingeditorofGamePolitics.com,andMikeWehner,awriterfor
theDailyDotandYahoo,demonstrating[its]influencewithinthemainstreammedia...Thisis
anoriginalsource.

CitesBreitbartarticleauthoredbyFrankRossasasourceonclaimTherevelation[ofthe
GameJournoProslist]echoesthe2010JournoListscandal,inwhichliberalreporterswerecaught
colludingandsmearingtheirideologicalopponents...Thisisasecondarysource.

Yiannopoulossarticleusesfiveoriginalsourcesoutofninesources.
However,threeofthosefivesourcesarescreenshotsfromanalleged
GoogleGroupwhichexists,butcannotbegenerallyaccessed.Offour
secondarysources,threearearticlesfromBreitbartLondonthe
publicationwhoemploysthewriter.Noneoftheoriginalorsecondary
storiesarereviewedfortheirveracity.Eachsourceislistedas
confirmationoftheclaimmadebyYiannopoulos.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

Rememberthatneitherspeednorformatexcusesinaccuracy.

WhilesupposedscreenshotsoftheallegedGameJournoProslist
areincludedinthearticle,lackofreviewofthoseandothersources
withintheworkmakesdeterminationofitsveracityimpossible.Whileit
ispossiblenoneofthesourcesarefaulty,thereisalackofattention
torobustofverificationofsuchseriousallegations.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

Providecontext.Takespecialcarenottomisrepresentoroversimplifyinpromoting,previewing
orsummarizingastory.
Yiannopoulosinhisworkdiscussingaprivateonlinemailinglist
andsuggestscollusionandnepotism/cronyismwiththegamingjournalism
industry.Heproposesthat
SeveralprominentgamingjournalistsacrossAmericaarepartofa
secretmailinglistonwhichtheydiscusswhattocover,whattoignore,
andwhatapproachtheircoverageshouldtaketobreakingnews


However,Yiannopoulosdoesnotincludecommentsfromtheallegedmembers
ofthisgroup,nordoeshementionhavingsoughtcommentbeforethe
articlewaspublished.Neitherfullcontext,norfairrepresentationcan
begatheredwithoutsomeresponsefromthosewhomallegationsarebeing
leveledagainst.
ThisGoalwasconsideredaTotalFailure.
Gather,updateandcorrectinformationthroughoutthelifeofanewsstory.

Yiannopoulosprovideda"pastedump"ofthetextoftheemails
hedreceivedfromthegroupafterreceivingcriticismoftheevidence
forhisclaims.However,Yiannopouloseitherhasnotorcannotprovide
morerobustproofofeitherhisaccessortheemailsfromthisgroup,as
hasbeenrequested.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

Becautiouswhenmakingpromises,butkeepthepromisestheymake.

Yiannopoulosdidnotmakeanypromisesinthisarticle.
Thiscategorywillberemovedfromscoring.

Identifysourcesclearly.Thepublicisentitledtoasmuchinformationaspossibletojudgethe
reliabilityandmotivationsofsources.

Yiannopoulosdoesnotdirectlyrevealormentionthesourcefor
themajorityofhisclaims.YiannopoulosmentionedviaTwitterthathis
sourcewouldremainanonymousandimpliedheorshewouldface
professionalconsequencesifrevealed,howeverhedidnotexplainthis
withinthearticleorupdateittoincludenewinformation.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.


Considersourcesmotivesbeforepromisinganonymity.Reserveanonymityforsourceswhomay
facedanger,retributionorotherharm,andhaveinformationthatcannotbeobtainedelsewhere.
Explainwhyanonymitywasgranted.

Yiannopoulosstatesonhistwitterthathewillbepreservingthe
anonymityofhissource,suggestingtheymaysufferprofessional
consequencesfortheirinvolvement.Yiannopoulosdoesnotmentionanyof
thisonhisarticle.Inaddition,inalaterleakoftheGroups
directory,thepersonwhoseaccountisregisteredinthescreenshotis
plainlyvisible.Itisunknownwhetherornotthisaccidentallyrevealed
sourceisthesameasthesourceusedforthisarticle.Thesourcelater
claimedtheywerenotbotheredbytheleak,butdidnotexplainwhether
ornottheyexpectedtheiridentitytoberevealed.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Diligentlyseeksubjectsofnewscoveragetoallowthemtorespondtocriticismorallegationsof
wrongdoing.

Yiannopoulosdidnotalludetohavingsoughtstatementsfromany
membersofGameJournoPros,anddoesnotincludecommentinthisarticle.
ThisGoalwasconsideredaTotalFailure.

Avoidundercoverorothersurreptitiousmethodsofgatheringinformationunlesstraditional,open
methodswillnotyieldinformationvitaltothepublic.

Themajorityofbackgroundinformationcomesfromother
widelyavailablearticleswrittenonthisandsimilartopics.However,
themeatofthearticletheGameJournoProsscreenshotsareclaimedto
havebeengatheredbyamemberofthegroup,whosepostsareclosedfrom
publicview.Basedontheallegationsgiveninthearticle,thisdata,
thoughgatheredsurreptitiously,isvitaltoconsumersofgamingmedia.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Bevigilantandcourageousaboutholdingthosewithpoweraccountable.Givevoicetothe
voiceless.
Inthisarticle,Yiannopoulospositsthatasecretmailinglist
betweeninfluentialmembersoftheindustrycolludeandconspireonwhat
storiesarefitforpublicconsumption.Theclaimisthattheseelite
membersareviolatingbasictenetsofthejournalistconsumer
relationship,andheisrevealingthoseviolationstoconsumerswhowould
otherwisebeclueless.Itisclearheisspeakingonbehalfofthe
generalconsumerinthisarticle.
ThisGoalwasconsideredanExceptionalSuccess.


Supporttheopenandcivilexchangeofviews,evenviewstheyfindrepugnant.

Yiannopoulosdoesnotdetailordescribeanystatedpurposefor
theGroup,orinterviewanyofitsmembersfortheirperspectiveonits
activities.Instead,YiannopoulossaysHighprofileeditors,reporters,
andreviewersusetheprivateGoogleGroupsmailinglisttoshape
industrywideattitudestoevents[.]
ThisGoalwasconsideredaTotalFailure.

Recognizeaspecialobligationtoserveaswatchdogsoverpublicaffairsandgovernment.Seek
toensurethatthepublicsbusinessisconductedintheopen,andthatpublicrecordsareopento
all.

Thereisnothinginthisarticleortopicthatisrelevantto
thiscriteria.
Itwillberemovedfromscoring.

Provideaccesstosourcematerialwhenitisrelevantandappropriate.

Mostsourcematerialisreadilyavailableandeasytoaccess.
WhilethescreenshotsoftheGameJournoProslistareavailable,norobust
evidencetoconfirmtheyarelegitimateisaccessible.Accordingto
Yiannopoulos,toprovidesuchevidencewouldendangerhissource.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Boldlytellthestoryofthediversityandmagnitudeofthehumanexperience.Seeksources
whosevoicesweseldomhear.
Yiannopoulosdidnotfeatureanyvoicesinthisarticle,other
thanhisownandcopiesofleakedemails.
ThisGoalwasconsideredaTotalFailure.

Avoidstereotyping.Journalistsshouldexaminethewaystheirvaluesandexperiencesmay
shapetheirreporting.
Yiannopoulosdoesnotstereotypeorcaricaturethosemembers
allegedofcollusion.However,inusinglanguagesuchasHighprofile
editors,reporters,andreviewersusetheprivateGoogleGroupsmailing
listtoshapeindustrywideattitudestoevents,andThe
GameJournoProsemailsappeartoconfirmwidelyheldsuspicionsthatvideo
gamejournalistsoperatewithonevoiceandcolludeonmajorissues
couldsuggesttoreadersthatthesemembersarenotonlybehaving
inappropriately,butalsoholdsinisterintentions.Withoutanystatement
fromthoseagainstwhomthisisalleged,itisimpossibleforreadersto
seeorunderstandanycontext.
ThisGoalwasconsideredaTotalFailure.

Labeladvocacyandcommentary.

Priortothisarticlebeingposted,Yiannopoulosvoicedhis
supportofthe#GamerGatemovement,whothemembersfeaturedinthis
articlewereopposedto.Hedidnotrevealthisbiasinthearticle.
ThisGoalwasconsideredaTotalFailure.

Neverdeliberatelydistortfactsorcontext,includingvisualinformation.Clearlylabelillustrations
andreenactments.

Yiannopoulosdoesnotdistortfacts,however,hisfailureto
includeanyresponseoradditionaldetailfromonesideoftheexchange
bydefaultdistortsthecontextofthesituation.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

Neverplagiarize.Alwaysattribute.

Yiannopoulosdoesnotplagiarisehiswork.However,hedidnot
attributeanyofhissources.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

Minimize Harm
2 out of 6 Goals Achieved. 8/25 Points awarded.
Ethicaljournalismtreatssources,subjects,colleaguesandmembersofthepublicashumanbeingsdeservingof
respect.

Balancethepublicsneedforinformationagainstpotentialharmordiscomfort.Pursuitofthenews
isnotalicenseforarroganceorundueintrusiveness.

Asamatterofnecessity,Yiannopoulosdoesnamecertainmembersof
theGameJournoProsgroup.Inaddition,healsoinevitablymentionsZoe
Quinn,thesubjectoftheemailsinquestion.However,innamingthem
YiannopoulosdoesaccuseQuinnofnotonlyinfidelity,butalsoof
participatingintheethicalfailingsofajournalist,whomhedoesnot
name.
ThisGoalwasnotAchieved.

Showcompassionforthosewhomaybeaffectedbynewscoverage.Useheightenedsensitivity
whendealingwithjuveniles,victimsofsexcrimes,andsourcesorsubjectswhoareinexperienced
orunabletogiveconsent.Considerculturaldifferencesinapproachandtreatment.

InthecenterofthiscontroversyisZoeQuinn,agamedeveloperwho
isaccusedofhavingintimaterelationswithajournalistwhocoveredher
sometimeclosetowhentheyhadarelationship.Yiannopoulosalsomakes
accusationsagainsther.Hestates,developerZoeQuinnhadasexual
relationshipwithatleastoneprominentgamesjournalistajournalist
whohadmentionedherandherproductsinhisreporting.Hedoesnot
namethejournalistinquestion,norexplainwhyZoeQuinn,specifically,
wasbroughtupratherthanthejournalistsheallegedlysleptwith.
ThisGoalwasconsideredaColossalFailure.

Recognizethatlegalaccesstoinformationdiffersfromanethicaljustificationtopublishor
broadcast.

WhiletheinformationpostedbyYiannopouloswasnotillegal,or
illegallyobtained,itispossiblethatitsbeingpublishedwithout
contextorcommentfromthosefeaturedinitcouldbeconsidered
unethical,oratleastworthyofmorecarefulconsiderationbythe
author.
ThisGoalwasnotAchieved.

Realizethatprivatepeoplehaveagreaterrighttocontrolinformationaboutthemselvesthanpublic
figuresandotherswhoseekpower,influenceorattention.Weightheconsequencesofpublishingor
broadcastingpersonalinformation.

Yiannopoulosdoesnotpublishorlinktoprivateinformationofanyof
hissubjectsinthiswork.Hedoeshowevermentionallegationsof
infidelityandcollusion.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Avoidpanderingtoluridcuriosity,evenifothersdo.
Thispiecedetailsinsiderinformationonindustryresponsetoasex
scandal.Yiannopoulosavoidsdiscussingdetailsofthisscandaland
focusesonitsfallout.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Balanceasuspectsrighttoafairtrialwiththepublicsrighttoknow.Considertheimplicationsof
identifyingcriminalsuspectsbeforetheyfacelegalcharges.

Thisstorydoesnotfeaturelegalproceedings.
Itwillberemovedfromscoring.

Considerthelongtermimplicationsoftheextendedreachandpermanenceofpublication.Provide
updatedandmorecompleteinformationasappropriate.

Thearticlestatesthat[high]profileeditors,reporters,and
reviewersusetheprivateGoogleGroupsmailinglisttoshape
industrywideattitudestoevents,andTheGameJournoProsemailsappear
toconfirmwidelyheldsuspicionsthatvideogamejournalistsoperate
withonevoiceandcolludeonmajorissues[.]Whilereadersmayfindthe
statementsincludedintheemailstobetroublesome,therewasno
optionsforthemtoconsiderresponsesfromthosemembersinquestion.In
addition,therewasnoadditionalcontextfortheemailsincludedwithin
thearticle.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

Act Independently
4 out of 5 Goals Achieved. 20/25 points awarded.
Thehighestandprimaryobligationofethicaljournalismistoservethepublic.

Avoidconflictsofinterest,realorperceived.Discloseunavoidableconflicts.

Yiannopoulosdidnotrevealhisconnectiontothemovement#GamerGate,
whichwascriticalofZoeQuinnandopposedbythefeaturedmembersof
GameJournoPros.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

Refusegifts,favors,fees,freetravelandspecialtreatment,andavoidpoliticalandotheroutside
activitiesthatmaycompromiseintegrityorimpartiality,ormaydamagecredibility.

ThereisnoevidencethatYiannopoulosparticipatedinanyofthese
actions,inthecreationofthisarticle.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Bewaryofsourcesofferinginformationforfavorsormoneydonotpayforaccesstonews.
Identifycontentprovidedbyoutsidesources,whetherpaidornot.

ThereisnoevidencethatYiannopoulosparticipatedinanyofthese
actions,inthecreationofthisarticle.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Denyfavoredtreatmenttoadvertisers,donorsoranyotherspecialinterests,andresistinternal
andexternalpressuretoinfluencecoverage.

ThereisnoevidencethatYiannopoulosparticipatedinanyofthese
actions,inthecreationofthisarticle.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Distinguishnewsfromadvertisingandshunhybridsthatblurthelinesbetweenthetwo.
Prominentlylabelsponsoredcontent.

ThereisnoevidencethatYiannopoulosparticipatedinanyofthese
actions,inthecreationofthisarticle.
ThisGoalwasAchieved.

Be Accountable and Transparent

0 out of 5 Goals Achieved. 0/25 points awarded.
Ethicaljournalismmeanstakingresponsibilityforonesworkandexplainingonesdecisionstothepublic.

0outof5GoalsAchieved.0/25pointsawarded.

*Explainethicalchoicesandprocessestoaudiences.Encourageacivildialoguewiththepublic
aboutjournalisticpractices,coverageandnewscontent.

Throughouthisinvolvementwith#GamerGate,Yiannopouloshastakenthe
positionofthereneedingtobestricterethicalstandardsinthegaming
journalismmedia,andagreaterdiscussionofthattopicinjournalism
atlarge.Yiannopouloshasnotspecificallydetailedhisownethical
standards,buthasappearedavailabletorespondtohispastreporting.
However,asisexplainedingreaterdetailbelow,hehasreactedstrongly
toquestionsabouthisethicalbehavioraswell.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

*Respondquicklytoquestionsaboutaccuracy,clarityandfairness.

SomefeaturedmembersoftheGameJournoProsgrouprespondedto
Yiannopoulossarticleswithconcernsoverrepresentation,specifically
statingthattheywerenotapproachedforcommentbeforethearticlewas
published.Yiannopoulosdidnotandhasnotrespondedrobustly,ifat
all,totheirconcerns.Inaddition,whensomeofhisevidencewas
questionedbyjournalistLianaKerzner,heinsultedher,butlater
apologized.
ThisGoalwasconsideredaColossalFailure.

Acknowledgemistakesandcorrectthempromptlyandprominently.Explaincorrectionsand
clarificationscarefullyandclearly.

Pleaseseetheabove.
ThisGoalwasConsideredaColossalFailure.

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*Exposeunethicalconductinjournalism,includingwithintheirorganizations.

Thepurposeofthisarticlewastoexposeevidencetosupport
allegationsofcollusionandcorruptioninthegamingjournalisticmedia.
However,NeitherBreitbart,norBreitbartLondonhavewrittencodesof
journalisticethics,andYiannopouloshasnotadvocatedfortheir
inclusionatanytime.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

*Abidebythesamehighstandardstheyexpectofothers.

Havingachieved44%ofthegoalsinpreviouscategories,Yiannopoulos
hasfailedtoevenapproachthestandardsheexpectsfromothers.
ThisGoalwasNotAchieved.

EacharticleisjudgedaccordingtothelevelofadherencetoacodeofethicsasprovidedbytheSocietyofProfessional
Journalists.Eachcategorypresentsagoal,andthepiece(orinspecificcasestheauthor)isjudgedtohaveachievedornot
achievedthegoal,accordingtoareviewofevidenceasprovidedbytheworkorauthorshistory.

Theauthorisconsideredtohaveachievedthegoaliftheyortheirworkadheredtoallaspectsofthecodeinthatcategory.
Theauthorisconsideredtohavenotachievedthegoalifanypartofthecodeisnotfullyadheredtointhatcategory.
Ininstanceswheretheauthorclearlyexpendedexceptionalefforttoadheretothecodeofethicstheywillachievean
exceptionalsuccessinacategory.
Ininstanceswheretheauthorfailstoachieveanyaspectofthecode,theireffortswillbeconsideredatotalfailure.
Ininstanceswheretheauthorgrosslyviolatedthecode,orshowedcleardisdainforethicsintheirwritingorbehavior,their
effortswillbeconsideredacolossalfailure.

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Disclaimer:It'simportanttorememberthatethicsinjournalismisacomplexissue,andadherencetoasinglecodeis
notanaccuratemeasureofwhetherornotajournalistisethical.Thatbeingsaid,thescoregivenbyTheSentinelisa
measureofadherencetotheSPJ'scodeofjournalisticethics.Itshouldbetreatedasastartingpointforgreater
discussionandaccountability,ratherthan"proof"ofunethicalbehaviour.NopartoftheCodeisenforceableinany
legalsense.TheSentinelWirewillneveragreetolabelajournalistasunethicalduetoascoreassignedbyit,during
review.Inaddition,TheSentinelWiredoesnotencourageorsupportthetakingofnegativeactionagainstanyone
reviewedormentionedinitswritings.

Inshort,TheSentineldoesnotcareaboutyourpettyhumandrama,andwillnotparticipateinit.

*SeveralcommentsintheTransparencysectionareinreviewofthejournalistsoverallbehaviorinresponseto
certaincriteria.Pointsearnedinthissectionareappliedtoallarticlesinthejournalistsselectionofworks.

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