Journalism Ethics

Defamation Libel ▪ Published defamation of character (damage a person’s reputation) Slander ▪ Spoken or broadcast defamation of character

Defamation In order for a reporter to be held libel in court, the material in question would have to: ▪ Imply commission of a crime ▪ Injure a person’s profession or job ▪ Imply a person has a disease ▪ Damage a person’s credit ▪ Imply a lack of chastity ▪ Indicate a lack of mental capacity ▪ Incite public ridicule or contempt

Defamation Dangerous Words that Can Call for Libel/Slander Lawsuits: ▪ thief, swindler, loan shark, shoplifter, gangster ▪ incompetent, failure, quack, shyster ▪ wino, leper, has VD, AIDS ▪ unreliable, bankrupt, gambler, failure ▪ stud, immoral, mistress, hooker, streetwalker ▪ screwy, nutty, incompetent, strange, crazy ▪ phony, coward, hypocrite

You can’t get in trouble for libel/slander if: ▪ The statement is true ▪ The statement is not your opinion ▪ You use a direct quote from an interviewee First Amendment grants freedom of speech and press (However, limits to these freedoms have been set and tested by several court cases). Defamation

Plagiarism

Is using other's ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. Plagiarism

Intellectual Property: The product of human intellect that is unique and un-obvious with some value in the marketplace. Plagiarism

Actions That Might Be Seen As Plagiarism Deliberate PlagiarismPossible Accidental Plagiarism Buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper Hiring or asking someone to write your paper Copying from one source w/o citing (on purpose or by accident) Building on someone's ideas w/o citing Using the source too closely when paraphrasing