1. "Media Ethics" Outlets for News…or Pawns? Thoughtful or Thoughtless?
Informative…or Shielding Us From Truth?
Questions for Discussion

2. Should TV stations cover live car chases when the police are involved?
What ethical issues are at play here?

3. What are issues raised by the advent of new technology?
Smaller cameras
Instant coverage of just about everything.
Being able to alter images such as photos and video to fool even experts
What’s wrong with checkbook journalism?

4. Accuracy and Fairness Do you think the press is accurate and fair?
What exactly does that mean?
What about using crude language that is accurate? OK? Not OK?
What about photos that are accurate but horribly graphic?

5. Graphic photos … show them, or not?

6. Should This Photo Be Published?

7. Nora Ephron on the fire escape photo:
“The real lesson of the Boston photographs is not the danger that editors will be forgetful of reader reaction, but that they will continue to censor pictures of death precisely because of that reaction. . . Death happens to be one of life’s main events.  And it is irresponsible – and more than that, inaccurate—for newspapers to fail to show it "

8. Where the Media Goes Bad
Who plagiarizes and how?
Who is faking stories?
How is sensitive information Illegally obtained?
Pack mentality – what is that?

9. Should the media withhold information?
Public’s need to know versus an individual’s right to privacy
"Outing" people for any reason
Stating cause of death without permission or assent of family
Speculating on President's health or state of mind

10. The Princess Diana Conundrum
The Weekly Sun Newspaper ran a cover photo of Lady Diana and circulation rose 20%
Owners and editors noticed that each time they ran a Diana photo, circulation jumped.
Hence, Diana became a media target.

11. Editing vs. Censorship
Does an editor have a right to kill a story – yes.
Does the government have the right to make an editor kill a story – no.
These slides were created long ago, before this sort of news item emerged.