Ethics

1. Ethics Choices, choices …

2. Difficult decisions • Media ethics, an area of constant challenge. • Can be tough, difficult decisions because sometimes there are not clear right or wrong answers. • Decisions can have a perceived negative impact on some people in the community you cover.

3. Two important questions • Who will be hurt, and how many? • Who will be helped, and how many?

4. Ethical challenges • Sometimes, decisions need to be made quickly. You are not necessarily prepared for the ethical challenge. • Be smart. If it seems wrong or unethical, don’t do it.

5. Typical considerations • What do we usually do in cases like this? What are your news organization’s general guidelines? • Is there a best-case alternative in this decision? • Can I justify my decision to family, friends and the public?

6. Typical considerations, cont. • What principles or values do I apply? • Does this decision fit the kind of journalism I believe in and the way people should treat one another?

7. Deceit • Lying or misrepresenting yourself to obtain a story. • Generally avoided. • May be the decided course in extreme cases. • Typically the course only when the story is extremely important to accomplish public good and there is no other way to get it.

8. More on deceit • The harm that would be done by not doing the story outweighs the harm done by doing the story. • Reporters should disclose the deception in the story that results and explain why it had to be done.

9. A couple considerations • Give those who may be portrayed in a bad light in a story obtained by deceit a chance to tell their side of the story – fairness. • Unlike undercover police, you may have no legal protections. If you break the law, there may be consequences.

10. Conflicts of interest • Romantic relationship with a source – a no-brainer, avoid or leave beat. • Friendship – OK to be friendly with your sources, but remember, you are there representing your audience, not your sources. • Journalists are supposed to be watchdogs, not friends of sources.

11. Freebies • Free gifts from a source – generally frowned upon. • Your organization may have a policy on this subject. • Remember – your credibility is important. • Are tickets to games/movies/plays freebies? Coffee or lunch?

12. Participating in the news • Generally, we don’t participate in political movements, run for office, display political yard signs or bumper stickers. • Some organizations go as far as removing or placing an employee on leave if a spouse or significant other is running for office.

13. Advertising pressure • “You know, I spend a lot of money on advertising with your company.” • Advertising rep in your office may ask for a story that is really of not much audience interest, but would make an individual advertiser happy.

14. Advertising solutions • Your organization should have some standards or practices in place to deal with these situations. • Kick it upstairs. • “That’s not anything I have any influence over.”

15. Plagiarism • Plagiarism, fabrication and stealing of another’s work is never acceptable. • You’ll be fired, reputation ruined. • Find another line of work. • When a journalist makes up a story, it hurts his or her reputation, the reputation of the publication, and the media as a whole.

16. Rumors and speculation • Reporters hear a lot of things. Some people just like to gossip, others have an agenda for spreading a rumor. • Some rumors are impossible to verify. • When should we report on rumors? Does that give them credibility?

17. Crime and disaster scenes • If you come upon a crime or disaster scene before aid workers arrive, what should you do, report or help?

18. Crime and disaster visuals • News organizations need to be in tune with public attitude. What does your audience find offensive or unacceptable? • Sensational photos – severely injured or maimed person, a dead body in a photo, go with them or not?

19. Questions?