JournalismChapter 2

Making Ethical Choices

ethics

• Branch of philosophy that deals with right and wrong

Confidentiality

• The assurance of secrecy for restricted information

censorship

• Removal or prohibition of material by an authority, usually government

• Occurs when officials prevent printing or broadcasting of material that is considered objectionable

• Ethical conduct = best defense against censorship

Freedom to Publish

“A country that tolerates censorship of the press cannot be truly free. Only when citizens can exercise their thoughts in an unfettered manner can they claim to be truly free.”

- David Kenney (former president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors)

First Amendment

• Ratified December 15, 1791• Article I: “Congress shall make no law

respecting an establishment to religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

First Amendment

• Guarantees freedom of press = newspapers, magazines, periodicals, pamphlets, radio, television, and film

First Amendment does not protect

• Obscene material• Students– Schools have power to restrict what students can

say or write.

Categories not Protected by the First Amendment

• Obscenity – material that offends local community standard and lacks artistic purpose

• Fighting words – racial, ethnic, gender or religious insults (Schools can ban certain clothing)

• Invasion of privacy (students’ medical and academic records)

• Copyright – exclusive rights to something a person has written or created

• Libel

Libel vs. Slander

• Libel – printing or broadcasting of false information that damages someone’s reputation, more permanent and has long-lasting effects

• Slander – a spoken falsehood

Libel

• “Any printed communication—words or pictures—which tends to expose one to public hatred, shame, contempt or disgrace or damage one’s reputation in the community or injure the person.

– Student Press Law Center

Report in the most ethical way by

• Check and recheck all facts– always try to find more than one source

• Contact the individual about whom you are writing– helps to ensure both sides of a story

• Exercise good judgment– consider possible implications

Prior Review

• An official (such as a principal) reviews a proof of the paper before it goes to press

Code of Ethics

• Seek truth and report it• Minimize harm• Act independently• Be accountable

EthicsSpecial Treatment

• Never accept gifts, favors, free travel, etc.– Examples: free movie tickets, free meals, etc.– Consequence = loss of credibility

EthicsConflicts of Interest

• Watch out for info. from “private sources”– Source may have selfish reasons for keeping

identity• Off-the-Record: comments made to a

reporter as background information and not for publication– Reporter promises not to use comments or reveal

the source

EthicsProtecting Identity

• Journalists should sometimes protect identity of source– Examples: job risks, safety

• Student reporters should rarely promise to keep source a secret

Accuracy & Objectivity

• Get the facts instead of a retraction• Retraction: a correction in a subsequent

issue of a publication

Fair Play & Taste

• Be objectionable = show respect & present all sides

• Be tasteful = avoid “gritty realism”

Publication Boards

• Student expression policies: written directive approved by the school board or established by a school publication board to protect the rights of student expression and to establish limits on expression where needed

Publication Boards

• Publication board: a committee set up to help guide and advise student publications

Plagiarism

• Using someone else’s words as your own

Student Press Law Center

• Provides help to student journalists