Ethical Issues in Journalism TRUTH

The Key to Good Journalism When you read an article or news report, you usually assume it is true. The greatest asset of any news organization is accuracy. Reporters must get their facts straight, they must always seek the truth. Consistent accuracy gives journalism, reporters and news organization credibility.

Journalistic Responsibility It is the responsibility of the journalist to report the truth. They are bound by a code of ethics that requires them to report truthfully, accurately, objectivily, impartialy, and fairly. To ensure this, journalists are held accountable by their viewers, or the public in general.

But what happens when a journalist loses sight of these crucial ideals? Consider the following journalists and how their actions affected the credibility of their news organization.

Dan Rather Dan Rather presented several documents criticizing President Bush’s service in the Air National Guard as authentic in a 60 Minutes Wednesday broadcast aired by CBS on September 8, 2004, less than two months before the 2004 Presidential Election. It was later found that CBS had failed to authenticate the documents, and subsequently, several experts concluded the documents were forgeries. How might the devoted followers of Dan Rather and CBS feel once they discovered CBS didn’t “verify” the facts before sharing them with the public? Who is to blame for not verifying the authenticity of the documents? Why is important to verify your facts?

Jayson Blair A reporter for the New York Times resigned from the paper in 2003 after editors confronted him about making up facts, quotations, and passing off the work of others as his own. In 2002 he was assigned to write about the D.C. sniper, and forged documents to make it look like he was in cities like Washington D.C. The San Antonio Express News accused him of plagiarizing a story it had written about a missing soldier’s mom. How did Blair’s actions affect the credibility of the NY Times? How did it affect the careers of his editors?

Jack Kelley USA TODAY reporter Jack Kelley fabricated substantial portions of at least eight major stories and “lifted” nearly two dozen quotes or other material from competing publications. In 2000 he used a snapshot he took of a Cuban hotel worker to authenticate a story he made up about a woman who died fleeing Cuba by boat. The woman in the photo neither fled by boat nor died, and a USA TODAY reporter located her four years later. Significant parts of one of his most gripping stories, an eyewitness account of a suicide bombing that helped make him a 2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist, were found to be untrue. What might cause a reporter to make up stories the way Jack Kelley did? Why is truth the most important principle in journalism?

Keith Olbermann In 2008 MSNBC dropped Keith Olbermann as co- anchor of its political night coverage in an effort to regain some of the credibility that the network lost when the liberal bias of the host was challenged on the air by their colleagues. The news organization responded to public feelings that he could not remain neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign. What is bias? Why is it important for reporters to remain unbiased in their reporting?

Janet Cooke Janet Cooke became infamous when it was discovered that a Pulitzer Prize winning story that she had written for The Washington Post had been fabricated. The article, "Jimmy's World", which appeared in the Post on September 29, 1980, was about an 8- year-old heroin addict. What was Janet Cooke’s responsibility to the public when she learned she won a Pulitzer for this article?

Christopher Newton The AP alleged that in at least 40 of the many hundred stories Newton wrote for the wire service between Jan. 13, 2000, and Sept. 8, 2002, Newton quoted sources who appear not to exist. The AP is a news syndicate that provides local and worldwide coverage for purchase by smaller news companies. Journalists sometimes phone around looking for the precise quotation their story needs to appear "balanced." They lead their witnesses with language such as, "So would you say...?" or asking the question five different ways until they get the right quotation to fit their story. How might this affect the credibility of the story? What might happen if you misquote a source? What is the likelihood that you will be hired by another news company if it discovers you made up quotes or facts?

Code of Ethics Ethics are the moral principles that govern appropriate conduct for individuals and organizations. In groups of three to four, come up with a Journalistic Code of Ethics for our publication. You must have at least four guidelines in your document. Write them on the poster sheets provided and you will present them to the class for discussion.

After presenting your ideas… What are the elements of ethical conduct in journalism? Check out the Code of Ethics as they are stated by the Society of Professional Journalists: Click here to view the SPLC Code of Ethics