Chapter 1: Why Ethics Matters in Journalism



Chapter 1: Why Ethics Matters in Journalism

The Study of Ethics in Journalism

Bob Steele, “Why ethics matters,” poynteronline, Aug. 9, 2002. Steele identifies the kinds of people who try to divert journalists from their duty to inform the public.

Anna Quindlen, “The great obligation,” Newsweek, April 19, 2004.

Journalism schools should teach not just accuracy, but empathy. Quindlen believes you really learn empathy by covering stories, not studying them, by imagining yourself in the place of the people you interview.

Michael Oreskes, “Navigating a minefield,” American Journalism Review, November 1999. There are pitfalls aplenty in today’s fast-paced, Internet-driven media landscape. That makes maintaining basic standards more important than ever.

Pew Center for the People & the Press, “Key news audiences now blend online and traditional sources,” Aug. 17, 2008. A study discussing the different audience segments for news media and where they are getting their news. The Ethical Journalist cites this study in making the point that basic ethical standards apply to journalism no matter how it is delivered to the audience.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism, “The how vs. where of news consumption,” Aug. 20, 2008. Analyzes the results of the survey mentioned above.

Media Ethics Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The Media Ethics Division of AEJMC includes more than 300 scholars researching and teaching in the fields of mass communication ethics.

Clifford Christians, Media Ethics in Education (Columbia, SC: Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2008).

Liz Harper, “Seeking ethical standards,” Online Newshour, Dec. 10, 2004.

Bob Steele, “Ethics in television news,” poynteronline, May 18, 2004. A conversation with television news leaders.

Honing Decision Skills Through Case Studies

James Carey, introduction to Tom Rosenstiel and Amy S. Mitchell (Eds.), Thinking Clearly: Cases in Journalistic Decision-Making (New York: Columbia University Press, 2003), 1-5. A discussion of the case-study method.

Red Light/Green Light Ethics

Roy Peter Clark, “Red light, green light: a plea for balance in media ethics,” May 17, 2005.

Russell Frank, “Maybe we’re too ethical: Today’s students tiptoe around sensitive stories,” Quill, April 2003. (Academic databases)

Lovelle Svart’s Video Diary

Video: Svart video diary, Sept. 28, 2007. Lovelle Svart’s online diary of her last months of life, which is discussed in the opening of this chapter in The Ethical Journalist.

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