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Ethics in Journalism

Ethics in Journalism. Jarrett Wilson Yeovil College Chaplaincy Adviser. Scenario 1.

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Ethics in Journalism

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  1. Ethics in Journalism Jarrett Wilson Yeovil College Chaplaincy Adviser

  2. Scenario 1 Your team are putting together a documentary about climate change and the deadline set by your funding source and the BBC is fast-approaching. Each of you on the team have a passion to see people informed about the dangers of climate change, and so you’re working to piece together scientific studies with interviews from some of the most high-profile climatologists around the world. One of your team is sent a report via email from a significant climate change research organisation, detailing the most recent findings off the coast of Antarctica. In her email the scientist also writes, “the data may seem inconclusive, but we think it’s more likely that climate change is affecting the ice in Antarctica than not. If you accentuate certain details of the report and not others, you can make a good, convincing case that climate change is happening.” What is your response? You are passionate about what you are reporting and this report could be the best contribution you have for your documentary. Do you accentuate certain elements of the report and “dumb-down” the parts that don’t fit with your theory? If you don’t dumb it down you are worried that people might not believe how important climate change is, and each of you really believe it to be a threat to mankind. Can you afford not to play down the parts that may affect your theory?

  3. Scenario 2 Your team is responsible for putting together a weekly political debate programme. The area you are filming in has a small majority of people who voted for a neo-Nazi political party, and who narrowly elected one of their members into Parliament at the last general election. If you do not invite him onto your panel, you are concerned that the public will think you’re not reporting fairly, which might cause some people to have sympathy for this racist and xenophobic political party. However, if you do invite him on, your team is concerned that even more people will be vulnerable to this political party’s extremist message. What do you do? Do you allow the political representative onto your programme, or not? How do you explain your actions to the public if you do invite him on? How will you explain your actions if you don’t?

  4. Scenario 3 A Palestinian member of your news team gets caught in the crossfire between Israeli and Palestinian soldiers and begins to film the event. The camera catches a father and his son trying to take cover around the corner of a building. The footage, which lasts just over a minute, shows the pair holding onto each other, the boy crying and the father waving, then a burst of gunfire and dust, after which the boy is seen slumped across his father's legs. The footage is submitted to your news team back in the UK and your team member working from the Middle East informs you that the child was killed by Israeli gunfire. What do you report? What will be the ramifications if you say that the child was killed by Israelis? Is your cameraman’s eyewitness enough to go on? Should you trust his report?

  5. Applied Ethics • What is the morally correct approach? • Utilitarianism • Virtue Ethics • Casuistry • Is there such a thing as objectivity?

  6. BBC’s Editorial Guidelineshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/edguide/editorialvalues/ • Truth & Accuracy • Impartiality & Diversity of Opinion • Editorial Integrity & Independence • Serving the Public Interest • Fairness • Privacy • Harm &Offence • Children • Accountability

  7. Rows with the BBC • Gaza Appeal • Jonathan Ross/Russell Brand • British National Party • Accusations of “left-wing bias”

  8. Documentaries • Based around events • Based around people • Based around problems in society/the world • Topical

  9. Ethical Dilemmas • Docu-dramas • “Shock-umentaries” • Information/Entertainment fusion • Clever editing • Music + Emotion

  10. Ethical Journalism?

  11. Channel 4 controversies • Ahmadinejad’s Christmas speech • Faith-based documentaries • “True Stories”

  12. Harm Limitation Principle • Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects. • Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief. • Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance. • Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy. • Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity. • Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes. • Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges. • Balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with the public's right to be informed.

  13. THANK YOU!

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