Detailed Contents

Foreword

Preface

About the Coauthors

Acknowledgments

Part I: A Foundation for Making Ethical Decisions

1 Why Ethics Matters in Journalism

Our society needs news professionals who do the right thing

• Contemporary journalists are keenly aware of the ethics of the profession, dealing frequently with ethics questions.
• In a profession that cannot be regulated because of the First Amendment, responsible journalists adhere voluntarily to high standards of conduct.
• The goal of this book and course is to teach you how to make ethically sound decisions.
• Discussing case studies in class is crucial to learning the decision-making process.
• The digital era, which has radically changed the way the news is gathered and delivered, has provoked controversy over whether ethics should radically change as well.
• Confronted with a daily deluge of information, the public depends on ethical journalists for news that can be trusted.

Point of View: A “Tribal Ferocity” Enforces the Code (John Carroll)

2 Ethics: The Bedrock of a Society

An introduction to terms and concepts in an applied-ethics course

• Ethics is about discerning between right and wrong and then doing what is right.
• Ancient societies developed systems of ethics that still influence human behavior.
• Though often related, ethics and law differ; law prescribes minimum standards of conduct, and ethics prescribes exemplary conduct.
• A member of a society absorbs its ethical precepts through a process of socialization.
• Our value system – based on the things we prize most – influences how we make moral choices.
• An ethical dilemma demands such a moral choice: a person may have to violate one ethical principle to fulfill another.

3 The News Media’s Role in Society

The profession has matured and accepted social responsibility

• Journalists generally agree that their fundamental ethical principles are to seek truth, serve the public, and maintain independence from the people they report on.
• Journalism, like other professions and institutions, owes society a moral duty called social responsibility.
• In the 1940s, the Hutchins Commission defined journalism’s social responsibility: to provide reliable information for the community.
• An ethical awakening occurred in journalism during the decade beginning in the mid-1970s.
• During this period of reform, many news organizations codified their principles, first addressing conflicts of interest and then refining news-coverage practices.
• Today’s journalism reflects decades of rising professionalism, but the transition to the digital era presents new challenges.

Point of View: The Essential Pursuit of Truth (Martin Baron)

Point of View: Decision-Making in the Digital Age (James M. Naughton)

4 For Journalists, a Clash of Moral Duties

Responsibilities as professionals and as human beings can conflict

• In the abstract, journalists should avoid becoming involved with the events and the people they cover.
• However, certain situations require journalists to decide whether they should step out of their observer role and become participants.
• In those situations, guidelines can help journalists reach sound decisions about whether to intervene.

Point of View: Journalists Are Humans, Too (Halle Stockton)

Case Study: The Journalist as a Witness to Suffering

Case Study: Protester Is Beaten; Reporter Steps In

5 The Public and the Media: Love and Hate

The goal for the journalist should be respect, not popularity

• Even as the news media mature and accept social responsibility, the public is increasingly hostile, and that is documented in surveys.
• As a journalist, you should be aware of this hostility and the likely reasons for it.
• You should treat the audience with respect and take complaints seriously; stripping away the rancor, you might find useful lessons.
• The public’s hostility has to be put in perspective; it may not be as bad as it seems.

Point of View: Journalism, Seen From the Other Side (Jane Shoemaker)

Case Study: A Journalist’s Trial by Social Media

6 How the “Trump Effect” Challenged Journalism

The news media had never dealt with a president like No. 45

• As a candidate and president (2015 - 2021), Donald Trump vigorously tested journalism’s habits, tools, and tenets.
• Modifying their reporting practices, journalists adapted to Trump much as earlier generations had adapted to Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. But the transition was not a smooth one.
• To deal with a multitude of false statements, news organizations created fact-checking units and debated whether to use the word lie.
• Coverage of Trump and his administration ranged from hard-hitting investigations to snarky commentary that tended to confirm critics allegations of bias.

Point of View: Impartial Journalism’s Enduring Value (Thomas Kent)

7 Applying Four Classic Theories of Ethics

Ancient philosophy can be a factor in the decision-making process

• The strengths and weaknesses of four classic ethical theories in the context of editor’s decisions to publish government secrets.
• Rule-based thinking - doing the right thing, even if there are consequences.
• Ends-based thinking - choosing to do what brings the most good to the most people.
• The Golden Rule - treating other people the way you would want to be treated.
• Aristotle’s Golden Mean - finding a moderate solution when the extremes won’t work.
• The practice of journalism typically blends rule-based thinking and ends- based thinking.

8 Using a Code of Ethics as a Decision Tool

Written professional standards can be a valuable guide

• Ethics codes in journalism trace their origins to the early twentieth century, as some editors put word-of-mouth standards into writing.
• Codes adopted by professional associations of journalists are voluntary; codes adopted by news outlets for the direction of their staffs are enforceable.
• Codes can be useful as a part of the decision process, not as a substitute for that process.
• The Society of Professional Journalist’s 2014 revision of its code of ethics is a model for the profession. Its four guiding principles are: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent.

9 Making Moral Decisions You Can Defend

How to apply critical thinking and a decision template

• A careful decision-making process draws on the practical skills of journalism: gathering facts, analyzing them, and making judgments.
• Critical thinking - thoughtful analysis - is an essential component of the decision process.
• A step-by-step template can guide you to a better decision.
• You must test your decision to see if it can be defended.
• In this course, approach the case studies as a laboratory exercise in decision-making.

Point of View: Avoid These Rationalizations (Michael Josephson)

Case Study: Deciding Whether to Identify a CIA Agent

Part II: Putting Journalism Ethics to Work

10 Getting the Facts Right and Being Fair

SPJ’s guiding principle of seeking truth and reporting it

• Accuracy and fairness are journalism’s fundamental ethical values.
• The digital era, with its emphasis on speed, entices reporters to take shortcuts and, thus, to risk mistakes.
• Journalists have to be alert for hoaxes, especially on the web.
• Problematic trends in the newsroom: less specialization, less editing.

Point of View: Declaring What You Wont Report (Craig Silverman)

Case Study: A Story of Rape at Mr. Jefferson’s University

Case Study: A Double Disaster at the Sago Mine

Case Study: Richard Jewell: He Really Was a Hero

Case Study: The Football Star’s Fictitious Girlfriend

11 Showing Empathy for People in the News

SPJ’s guiding principle of minimizing harm

• Recognizing that the truth can hurt, journalists should weigh the information they are reporting against the harm it can be expected to cause. Sometimes that calculation might lead to a decision not to publish a detail of marginal relevance or possibly an entire story or photograph.
• Requests from the public to “unpublish” archival content create an ethical dilemma: a desire to protect the historical record versus consideration of the people hurt by that record, especially when it is flawed.
• Reporters should take particular care when interviewing children and survivors of a tragedy, or when reporting on suicides.
• Journalists should be aware that their presence can be viewed as intrusive.

Case Study: The Death of a Boy

Point of View: Reporting a Fact, Causing Harm (William F. Woo)

12 Avoiding Conflicts: Appearances Count

SPJ’s guiding principle of acting...