1. Journalistic Ethics Doing the Right Thing

2. Morals vs. Ethics Morals: the standards of behaviour in relation to others by which people are judged Ethics: the system of beliefs that supports a particular view of morality LaRue Hosmer, The Ethics of Management, 2005

3. Some Ethical Observations "We can only justify preventing freedom of speech if people are harmed." – John Mill's Harm Principle "The only security of all is in a free press." – Thomas Jefferson "I may not believe in what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it." – Thomas Jefferson

4. What is the spj? SPJ is Society of Professional Journalists Goals of a journalist – Seek truth and report it – Minimize harm – Act independently – Be accountable and transparent Code of Ethics – Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility – See entire Code of Ethics herehere

5. SPJ: Seek Truth and Report It Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information. – Take responsibility for accuracy of work – Give voice to the voiceless – Never plagiarize q8blend.com

6. SPJ: Minimize Harm Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect. – Balance the need for the public’s right to know against potential harm or discomfort motherjones.com

7. SPJ: Minimize Harm – Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information than public figures

8. SPJ: Minimize Harm Balance a criminal suspect’s right to a fair trial with the public’s right to be informed yourblackworld.net

9. SPJ: Act Independently The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public – Avoid conflicts of interest – Refuse gifts or favors that compromise journalistic integrity – Deny special treatment to advertisers

10. SPJ: Be Accountable Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one's work and explaining one’s decisions to the public – Admit mistakes and correct them quickly – Encourage discussion from the public to voice grievances – Abide by the same standards in which others are held “An article on Monday misstated the worth of the companies involved…”

11. Assignment Choose one of the scenarios and write a short essay regarding how you would respond ethically. Scenario 1 The 21-year-old son of a prominent politician has been charged with possession of drugs. Do you include her name in the story about her son? Scenario 2 You are interviewing a doctor about a recent disease outbreak when he is called away. As he leaves he puts a file regarding the disease on the coffee table. He has not discussed the contents of the file with you. Do you look in the folder? Scenario 3 A man smuggles documents out of his company that show that the company has been falsifying its accounting processes. He refuses to give you his name or tell you how he got the documents. Do you run the story? Save the essay on your H drive in your “Journalism” subfolder entitled [your last name] ethics and submit to Mrs. J via Google Drive by midnight on Tuesday, September 22, 2015