Models of Decision Making

THE POTTER BOX Few people would argue that any one of the ethical philosophies has provided a perfect model for making ethical decisions. Instead we can draw ideas from each theory and construct an outline of how ethical decisions should be made. called “Potter’s Box”, named for Harvard Divinity School Professor Ralph Potter. Potter suggests that ethical decision making should go through four interrelated stages.

THE POTTER BOX The first step in Potter’s box is to define the problem. Suppose a student accuses a professor of taking a bribe for better grades and asks the editors of the campus newspaper to write a story. Before the newspaper makes a decision, they need more information so they can understand the situation.

THE POTTER BOX Potter called this seeking “empirical definition.” They may ask if the source is trustworthy, whether the student has any way of proving his allegations, if the student has some grudge against the teacher, if the student has approached the department chair or university about the problem.

THE POTTER BOX The second step in Potter’s box is to identify the values that should play a role in making decisions. Editors will want to consider some professional values. They may believe that role of the news media is to provide truthful information. They believe that it is important for media to be fair. Personal values such as honesty, trust and fairness, may also be considered.

THE POTTER BOX The next step calls for the editors to view the situation from a variety of ethical viewpoints: Utilitarians would want them to consider the consequences. Would society benefit from the story? Would the amount of good to the society outweigh the harm that the story might cause? Kant would ask them to consider their intensions in running the story. Aristotle would counsel that they avoid extremes behavior. Perhaps the best course of action lies somewhere between publishing all the information and not writing the story.

THE POTTER BOX The fourth step in the Potter Box is to determine your loyalties. In this situation, several loyalties come into play. Editors have the professional loyalties that come with being a journalist. They have also loyalties to student who is facing this situation, the accused teacher, to the campus, to their colleagues. They have loyalties to themselves, their sense of conscience and their well being.

THE POTTER BOX Finally, taking the results of all four steps into consideration, one must make a decision. If everyone applies these same four steps, will we arrive at the same conclusion as to what is ethical? No. the goal of ethics is not necessarily to get everyone to agree on the same course of action. The value of these guidelines is that they require you to make a thoughtful, informed decision.

THE PYRAMID MODEL A modified Potter Box model is suggested, called the Pyramid Model, which attempts to base analysis on a philosophical foundation. We suggest a transformation of the Potter Box into a three-dimensional pyramid—a point-of-decision pyramid that will help the media practitioner think through an ethical dilemma to the point of making a decision. The Point-of-Decision Pyramid will serve to better equip readers and media practitioners to use their moral imagination for resolving ethical dilemmas

THE PYRAMID MODEL Moral reasoning always is built upon a philosophic foundation, whether or not the decision maker is aware of it. The base of the pyramid of moral reasoning in ethical cases represents the philosophical foundation that informs analysis. The decision maker first should consider the philosophical base as he or she moves from an arrangement of the case facts through the prioritization of the principles and to the list of stakeholders—primary, secondary and tertiary

CANONS OF JOURNALISM

Canons of Journalism To perform all the journalistic functions and duties canons or code of ethics are set forth. The 7 canons of journalism are a necessity to know for all journalists.   They were adopted in 1923 by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. They are the basic guidelines on how to conduct yourself on writing topics.

RESPONSIBILITY: The right of a newspaper to attract and hold readers is restricted by nothing but considerations of public welfare. The use a newspaper makes of the share of public attention it gains serves to determine its sense of responsibility, which it shares with every member of its staff. A journalist who uses his power for any selfish or otherwise unworthy purpose is faithless to a high trust.

 FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: Freedom of the press is to be guarded as a vital right of mankind. It is the unquestionable right to discuss whatever is not explicitly forbidden by law, including the wisdom of any restrictive statute.

INDEPENDENCE: Freedom from all obligations except that of fidelity to the public interest is vital. 1. Promotion of any private interest contrary to the general welfare, for whatever reason, is not compatible with honest journalism. So-called news communications from private sources should not be published without public notice of their source or else substantiation of their claims to value as news, both in form and substance.

Partisanship, The editorial comment which knowingly departs from the truth, does injustice to the spirit of journalism; in the news columns it is subversive of a fundamental principle of the profession.

SINCERITY, TRUTHFULNESS, ACCURACY:  Good faith with the reader is the foundation of all journalism worthy of the name. 1. By every consideration of good faith a newspaper is constrained to be truthful. It is not to be excused for lack of thoroughness or accuracy within its control, or failure to obtain command of these essential qualifies. 2. Headlines should be fully warranted by the contents of the articles which they surmount.

IMPARTIALITY: Sound practice makes clear distinction between news reports and expressions of opinion. News reports should be free from opinion or bias of any kind. This rule does not apply to so-called special articles unmistakably devoted to advocacy or characterized by a signature authorizing the writer's own conclusions and interpretation.

FAIR PLAY: A newspaper should not publish unofficial charges affecting reputation or moral character without opportunity given to the accused to be heard ; right practice demands the giving of such opportunity in all cases of serious accusation outside judicial proceedings. 1. A newspaper should not involve private rights or feeling without sure warrant of public right as distinguished from public curiosity.

Accounatability: It is the privilege, as it is the duty, of a newspaper to make prompt and complete correction of its own serious mistakes of fact or opinion, whatever their origin.

DECENCY: A newspaper cannot indulged in details of crime and vice, publication of which is not demonstrably for the general good-