Ethical Issues Part 2 doing the right thing

Ethical Issues Part 2 …doing the right thing is not always the easy thing…

International • Declaration of Rights and Obligations of Journalists (1971) • http: //www. rjionline. org/mas/code-ofethics/journalists-union-declaration • Adopted by International Federation of Journalists 2

Other Journalism Ethics Codes • Society of Professional Journalists (USA) – http: //www. spj. org/pdf/ethicscode. pdf • Other national journalists codes – http: //ethicnet. uta. fi/codes_by_country 3

Azerbaijan laws toward journalists http: //en. trend. az/news/politics/1845304. html 4

Ethics Survey You’re interviewing a public official in her office. She leaves the room for a few minutes. Do you peek at the letters and notes on her desk? Have you ever: Fabricated a quote or a fact for a story? Yes (If I can read them upside down) No Deliberately distorted a fact or quote? Some newspapers have a policy forbidding reporters to participate in local political activities—marching in rallies, working for candidates, even lapel pins. Do you agree with this policy? Yes No Only if it involves a reporters actual beat Deliberately ignored facts that would have forced you to hold or rewrite a story? Would you approve if your news organization exposed corruption by broadcasting documents without proper authorization from the state? Yes No Is it ok to accept a gift or free mail from someone you cover in your beat? Do you approve of using anonymous sources? When it’s the only way to publish important information in the public interest Yes No If it’s the only way to get accurate information for an important story would you: claim to be someone else? Yes No avoid identifying yourself as a reporter? When someone wants to avoid personal or professional embarrassment? When someone give you a really good quote, you’re unable to verify that person’s identity? Do you approve of news organizations paying money for a crucial interview if it’s the only way to get someone to talk? Yes No secretly record a conversation without informing the other person? Yes No but 5

Ethics Survey A friend of yours is a soloist for the state symphony. Your editor wants you to review the concert. Would you agree to do it? Your editor insists you do the review of the concert. It is obvious to everyone that the soloist is drunk. It was a terrible performance. If you write an honest review, you could ruin her reputation. Do you write an honest review? You have learned about a terrible disease outbreak coming to your city. Would you tell the audience all of the details of the disease and how quickly it spreads and the impending doom? You and a fellow journalist decide to open a tea house near parliament in order to secretly video tape corrupt political leaders taking about illegal deals and bribes. You discuss the ethical issues of such a tea house. Do you finally determine to open the tea house? The coach of a regional professional football team just lost the big game. In an interview with you he calls one of his players a bad name. It was an amazing quote that you got on camera. He calls you an hour later asking you not to run the quote. He said he was upset over losing. What do you do? Run it Remove it Depends on whether he threatened or asked politely After painstaking research, you write a story implicating a local businessman in a scandal. Your editor cuts the story because the man is a major advertiser for the station. Would you leak the story to a friend at another independent station or independent newspaper? 6

Azerbaijan Controversies • PLEASE REVIEW BELOW FOR HOMEWORK • http: //www. rferl. org/content/azerbaijan_fat ullayev_aliyev_appeal/2338163. html • http: //www. eurasianet. org/node/62408 7

Making Ethical Decisions • Potter’s Box 8

Potter’s Box Facts: Presentation of non-judgmental list of the facts. Values: Who are you? What value do you give the issue in question? You may judge something according to aesthetic values (harmonious, pleasing), professional values (innovative, newsworthy), logical values (consistent, competent), sociocultural values (respect, religious values), and moral values (honesty, nonviolence). Who will gain? Who will lose? What is the best interest of the audience? 9

Potter’s Box Loyalties: who do you have allegiances or loyalties to? In journalism, the first allegiance is always to the public. Other allegiances a journalist might have would be to his or her government, employer, industry organizations or coworkers. Principles: Philosophical principles • The Golden Mean: (Confucius and Aristotle) moderation is key • Categorical imperative: (Kant) what’s right for one is right for all • Principle of utility: (Mill) the greatest benefit for the greatest number • Principle of self-determination: do not treat people as a means to an end • The Golden Rule: Do on to others as you would have them do on to you. 10

Ethical Case Studies Your photo editor just brought you this photo. What is your reaction? What are your questions if you use the Potter Box to determine if you will run it? 11

Your reporter was in the room with this public official when he shot himself. You have the full video (which I have chosen not to display). Please use the Potter Box to make your decision about whether to run this video or not. 12

Other Ethical Case Studies • http: //www. spj. org/ethicscasestudies. asp 13