1 / 32

Media Ethics, Part 2

Media Ethics, Part 2. How professional codes guide journalists’ behavior. Schedule Update. Today: Ethics, Part 2 Friday: Guest speaker Ted Warren, The Associated Press Photojournalism in the digital era Next week: Media Law. Calculating your grade. 3 exams @ 100 = 300 1 paper @ 30 = 30

baylee
Download Presentation

Media Ethics, Part 2

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Media Ethics, Part 2 How professional codes guide journalists’ behavior JAMM 100

  2. Schedule Update • Today: Ethics, Part 2 • Friday: Guest speaker • Ted Warren, The Associated Press • Photojournalism in the digital era • Next week: Media Law JAMM 100

  3. Calculating your grade • 3 exams @ 100 = 300 • 1 paper @ 30 = 30 • Clicker quizzes: 20 @ 10 = 40 • Total points so far: 340 Still to come: 1 paper, 1 exam, extra credit Total points for semester: 500 JAMM 100

  4. Student Course Evaluations • On-line at: http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/studentevals/ • Please be constructive, specific in responses to open-ended questions • Surveys are anonymous, confidential • Last day to participate: Sunday, Dec. 12 JAMM 100

  5. Clicker Quiz #1 Which philosopher advocated the Golden Mean, which suggests moderation between extremes? a) Socrates b) Sophocles c) Plato d) Aristotle e) Thucydides JAMM 100

  6. Clicker Quiz #1 Which philosopher advocated the Golden Mean, which suggests moderation between extremes? d) Aristotle JAMM 100

  7. Ethics: Enforcement • Journalists aren’t licensed, so face no formal sanctions for unethical acts • Many groups have ethics codes, but lack enforcement power • Peer pressure, public embarrassment are only consequences for violations JAMM 100

  8. Professional Codes • Radio-TV News Directors Association • American Advertising Federation • Society of Professional Journalists • Public Relations Society of America JAMM 100

  9. Code of Ethics Public Relations Society of America • Act as responsible advocates • Provide a voice in marketplace of ideas • Adhere to highest standards of accuracy, truth JAMM 100

  10. SPJ Code of Ethics Society of Professional Journalists • Seek truth and report it • Minimize harm • Act independently • Be accountable JAMM 100

  11. Common ethical violations • Sensationalism • Conflict of interest • Fakery • Plagiarism JAMM 100

  12. Fakery • 1992: Dateline NBC • Report on safety of Chevrolet trucks • Claim: side-mounted fuel tanks prone to explode in collision • NBC rigged gas tanks with igniters • Video showed fuel spill, flames JAMM 100

  13. 1992: NBC • VIDEO: When Good Journalists Do Bad Things: Truthtelling & the Public Trust • Poynter Institute: www.poynter.org JAMM 100

  14. 1992: NBC • GM filed lawsuit; lawyers negotiated • NBC retracted story, apologized • NBC News President Michael Gartner resigned • GM used PR strategy for crisis management JAMM 100

  15. Plagiarism • The act of taking ideas, thoughts or words from another and passing them off as your own • Closely related to fabrication (making up stories, facts, quotes) JAMM 100

  16. Plagiarism: Case studies • 1981: Janet Cooke • 1998: Stephen Glass • 2003: Jayson Blair JAMM 100

  17. Janet Cooke Washington Post, 1981 • ‘Jimmy’s World’ • 8-year-old heroin addict • Illustrated urban drug problems in D.C. • Cooke won Pulitzer JAMM 100

  18. Janet Cooke Problems with ‘Jimmy’s World’: • Jimmy didn’t exist • Story couldn’t be verified • Post returned Pulitzer • Cooke resigned JAMM 100

  19. Stephen Glass • Writer for The New Republic • Fabricated dozens of stories, 1997-1998 • Subject of movie (2003): Shattered Glass • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA4N9ex56jA JAMM 100

  20. Jayson Blair • New York Times • Fabricated stories • Cut and pasted from other newspapers’ Web sites • Made up sources & descriptions JAMM 100

  21. Jayson Blair • Resigned May, 2003 • Blamed Times editors • Interview with Katie Couric, 2004 • http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/4455995#4455995 JAMM 100

  22. Fallout from Blair Affair • 2 top editors resigned • Times appointed ombudsman to improve credibility JAMM 100

  23. Holding the media accountable • Ombudsmen (or women) • Journalism reviews • Watchdog groups • News councils JAMM 100

  24. Ombudsman • Staff member assigned to hear, respond to audience complaints • Original purpose: government position in Sweden JAMM 100

  25. Ombudsman Also known as: • Ombuds officer • Reader representative • Reader advocate • Public editor (New York Times) JAMM 100

  26. www.newsombudsmen.org JAMM 100

  27. Journalism reviews • Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) • American Journalism Review (AJR) • Quill (published by SPJ) JAMM 100

  28. Watchdog groups • Founded in 1986 by Jeff Cohen • Believes corporate media has conservative bias • Monthly magazine: Extra! JAMM 100

  29. Watchdog groups • Media Research Center • Conservative group founded by Brent Bozell, 1987 • Believes media have liberal bias JAMM 100

  30. News Councils • City or state groups • Public & media members • Review complaints & issue reports • No enforcement powers except public opinion JAMM 100

  31. News Councils Mission: To help maintain public trust and confidence in the news media … by creating a forum where the public and the news media can engage each other in examining standards of journalistic fairness.www.wanewscouncil.org JAMM 100

  32. Clicker Quiz #2 Which of the SPJ ethical standards did NBC violate with the Dateline report? • Seek truth and report it • Minimize harm • Act independently • Be accountable JAMM 100

More Related