Journalistic Ethics

Doing the Right Thing

Morals vs. Ethics

• Morals: the standards of behaviour in relation to others by which people are judged

• Ethics: the system of beliefs that supports a particular view of morality

LaRue Hosmer, The Ethics of Management, 2005

What is the spj?

• SPJ is Society of Professional Journalists• Goals of a journalist– Seek truth and report it–Minimize harm– Act independently– Be accountable and transparent

• Code of Ethics – Professional integrity is the cornerstone of

a journalist’s credibility– See entire Code of Ethics here

SPJ: Seek Truth and Report It

• Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.– Take responsibility for accuracy of work– Give voice to the voiceless– Never plagiarize

q8blend.com

SPJ: Minimize Harm

• Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect. – Balance the need for the public’s right

to know against potential harm or discomfort

motherjones.com

SPJ: Minimize Harm

– Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information than public figures

SPJ: Minimize Harm

• Balance a criminal suspect’s right to a fair trial with the public’s right to be informed

yourblackworld.net

SPJ: Act Independently

• The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public – Avoid conflicts of interest– Refuse gifts or favors that compromise

journalistic integrity– Deny special treatment to advertisers

SPJ: Be Accountable

• Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one's work and explaining one’s decisions to the public– Admit mistakes and correct them quickly– Encourage discussion from the public to

voice grievances– Abide by the same standards in which

others are held

“An article on Monday misstated the worth of the companies involved…”

Assignment• Choose one of the scenarios and write a short essay regarding

how you would respond ethically.

• Scenario 1 The 21-year-old son of a prominent politician has been charged with possession of drugs. Do you include her name in the story about her son?

• Scenario 2 You are interviewing a doctor about a recent disease outbreak when he is called away. As he leaves he puts a file regarding the disease on the coffee table. He has not discussed the contents of the file with you. Do you look in the folder?

• Scenario 3 A man smuggles documents out of his company that show that the company has been falsifying its accounting processes. He refuses to give you his name or tell you how he got the documents. Do you run the story?

• Save the essay on your H drive in your “Journalism” subfolder entitled [your last name] ethics and submit to Mrs. J via Google Drive by midnight on Tuesday, September 22, 2015