1. Ethics in Journalism “Truth and Objectivity”

2. Objectivity Not showing opinion or bias.

3. Early 20 th Century “ Reporters were supposed to get the facts and keep their own opinion out of what they wrote. In practice this meant that they would interview one official and relay that person’s comments as accurately as possible.” -- page 40

4. Question Is it the job of the media to report what someone says, even if what they said is absurd and probably incorrect? Should they fact-check what is said and let the reader know what they found out? Is this bias?

5. Question When would it be acceptable to print a story based on information from only one source?

6. Joseph McCarthy Senator (R – Wis.) Held hearing ins 1950s accusing many public officials of helping the Communists infiltrate the American government Many public officials were forced to resign Many actors were “blacklisted” and struggled to find work

7. Joseph McCarthy As a journalist, what is your responsibility here? You know he is wrong, but you are supposed to remain objective. What choices do you have?

8. Edward R. Murrow Murrow’s coverage of McCarthy gained him fame and respect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEvEmkMNYHY

9. Edward R. Murrow Wasn’t that bias? Isn’t that a violation of the Code of Ethics?

10. McCarthyism One outcome of the McCarthy era was that many reporters and editors recognized that truth telling meant more than simply compiling what officials said. They began to seek out additional sources for their reports. -- page 42

11. Student Questions …

12. Can balance produce lazy journalism? Presenting both sides may provide a more complete story than the single-source stories of the past. But it may not help society get at the truth of complex issues. - - page 43

13. Should a reporter get both sides of a story? When is this dangerous? If 99% of people believe one thing and 1% believes the other thing, should they get equal coverage?

14. Climate Change

16. Climate change Is CNBC being objective?

17. Determining balance So let’s take something 50/50… a war. Should coverage be equal to each side? What if many more people are dying on one side than the other? What if one side is pro-American and the other side is anti-American?

18. Syria “We don’t hear enough about who the people are who are really being affected," Sanjay Gupta said when asked to assess news coverage about Syria. "We hear the numbers — 100,000 dead, 1,400 people were gassed — and we hear those as big headlines, but when you meet some of these people, I think that really brings it home.”

19. Syria

20. What is a journalists role? What kind of stories should be covered? Is it the responsibility of journalists to evoke empathy for those dying in a war? Is that biased?

21. This Week with George Stephanopoulos Each week he lists the U.S. soldiers that have died in action Objective? Bias?

22. Cases to Discuss Case 1 – page 53 Case 2 – page 55

23. Student Questions …

24. Writing Prompts Three prompts Answer with complete sentences and thoughts Each answer deserves at least one quality paragraph Three prompts 10 minutes each

25. Writing Prompt #1 Explain why objectivity is good for journalism. AND, explain why objectivity is bad for journalism.

26. Writing Prompt #2 While most European countries expect opinion and bias from their news, the United States is known for it’s unbiased newspapers. Some argue this makes our news bland and difficult to find the true meaning of a story. What is your opinion on biased/slanted journalism? Does it have a place in America? What kind of journalism should we strive for?

27. Writing Prompt #3 What is the truth? How can a reporter tell it?