Making Ethical Choices Ethics – The branch of philosophy that deals with right and wrong

APK…Press Ethic Statements “We can only justify freedom of speech if people are unharmed.” John Mill Never distort, fabricate, or plagiarize. “The only security for all is in a free press.” Thomas Jefferson You must act in the best interest of the public. You should act the way you think others should act. You must do no harm. “I may believe in what you say, but will fight to the death for your right to say it…” Thomas Jefferson Do not invade privacy.

Important Terms Obscenity – material that offends local community standards and lacks serious artistic purpose Copyright – the exclusive rights to something a person has written or otherwise created Libel – The printing or broadcasting of false information that damages someone’s reputation Slander - A spoken falsehood. Fighting words – So-called fighting words are usually racial, ethnic, gender, or religious insults.

Code of Ethics – Society of Professional Journalism Seek Truth and Report It Journalists should be honest, fair, and courageous in gathering reporting and interpreting information.   Minimize Harm Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings, deserving respect Act Independently Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know Be Accountable Journalists are accountable to the readers, listeners, viewers and each other.

Activity In partners, read each of the cases and decide what is the ethical choice to make. Spend at least 2- 3 per case and be prepared to defend your response. When everyone has completed discussing the cases, you will be called upon to present your group’s solution to each problem. Be prepared to justify your answer using the code of ethics. group made.

Problem Solving – Journalism Ethics Case 1 – You are covering a story of terrorists taking over a school. In the middle of your live feed to the news, you see one of the hostages escape from the school into a central courtyard. Do you mention the child’s escape in your live coverage?   Case 2 – You are a reporter who covers new technology for a local newspaper. The owner of a technology company asks you to anonymously help him write a press release. Do you accept the paying job on your own time? Case 3 - You are covering a car accident when another reporter arrives late. She asks you to fill her in on the story. Do you? Case 4 – 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?

Problem Solving Continued Case 5 – You are the editor of a small local newspaper. Five employees of the largest employer in town come to you with stories of unsafe business practices that are the result of the choices made by the business’ millionaire owner. They have asked to be kept anonymous, but have given their statements in writing and say they will testify in court if the newspaper is sued. Do you run the story?   Case 6 – 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? Case 7 – Your photographer takes a moving shot of partially undressed woman being saved by firefighters. Her face cannot be seen and the picture does not expose her, but her home burning down makes her identity obvious. Do you run the picture? Case 8 – 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?

Problem Solving Continued Case 9 – You are covering a National political convention about aboriginal issues. You overhear a well-connected politician from the Maritimes joking with an aide from Saskatchewan. He says, “We just don’t have these types of issues. If you’d shot them all like we did, you wouldn’t have them either.” Do you run a story about what you heard?   Case 10 – You are a court reporter covering a domestic abuse case. The story is graphic and there are many facts to put together. The husband is an Oriental person and the wife is a Caucasian. Do you include this in your story?

Activity 2 Read the article “Calculus Teacher Gives Students the Shaft” and decide whether or not it is ready for print. Does it contain the writer’s opinions? Is any of it libelous?

A Balanced Debate What is fair and what is equal are often different. In addition, what happens in the media sometimes adds to people's biases about disadvantaged groups. This lesson teaches you about stereotyping and ethnocentrism, and gives you a chance to debate difficult issues.

Read the article “Ethnic Minorities in the News” According to Charles Ungerleider, how is news reporting similar to story telling? Which news stories are most likely to feature immigrants? Which are least likely to do so? What is the negative backlash when racial identification is used in stories about crime? Why might white Canadians believe news coverage of minorities and minority issues is sufficient? What stories are immigrants most interested in? Why do you think these stories are underreported? According to this essay, has ethnic and racial diversity within the newspaper industry improved since the 1990s? Explain? How does Canada compare to the United States? If you were responsible for creating a diverse workforce in the news industry, what suggestions would you make to improve the situation?

Citizen Journalism What do you think about the need for professional journalism in the future? What do you think about the role of student journalists within your school community? Will “citizen journalism” positively impact journalism in the 21st century?    According to Oxford Dictionaries on-line, citizen journalism is defined as “the collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by means of the Internet.” Paul Lewis’s view on Citizen Journalism. Jeff Jarvis briefly present his view on the code and transparency Dean Write explores the ethic of on-line journalism.

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism

Outfoxed Key Ideas WHAT DO YOU THINK? Jeremy Glick Coverage of both sides of an issue Caught off tape Fox shapes the content of the news to shape politics. Influencing competing news agencies. News content coming out of the promotion department. Corporate control over the media narrows discourse WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Activity- Rethinking Ethics in the News You will be given one of the four following articles to read: “Media and the Hard Truth about Suicide” Covering Suicide: Do Journalists Exploit Tragedy” “Reporters Covering School Massacre Slammed for Interviewing Children” “Does the Press Still Care about Women’s Rights?” When reading the article, be sure to: Highlight main idea and supporting points/arguments Answer any questions that might be asked Highlight any key phrases that draw your attention and explain why