1. Journalistic Ethics
Doing the Right Thing

2. Journalistic Ethics The professional press is responsible
for reporting the facts of a situation.
Just as a doctor is responsible for diagnosing a sickness, a journalist tells the public what people need to know to be informed decision makers.

3. Morals vs. Ethics
Morals: the standards of behavior in relation to others by which people are judged
Ethics: the system of beliefs that supports a particular view of morality

4. 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."

5. SPJ Code of Ethics SPJ – Society of Professional Journalists (1909)
Seek Truth and Report It
Minimize Harm
Act Independently
Be Accountable
Check out the full SBJ COE here:

6. SPJ: Seek Truth and Report It
Test the accuracy of all information
Identify sources where feasible
Ensure that you don’t misrepresent
Never plagiarize
Give voice to the voiceless

7. SPJ: Minimize Harm
Show compassion for those affected

8. SPJ: Minimize Harm
Celebrities have a lesser right to control information than others.

9. SPJ: Minimize Harm
Balance a suspect’s right to a fair trial with the public’s right to be informed

10. SPJ: Act Independently
Avoid conflicts of interest
Refuse gifts or favors that compromise journalistic integrity
Deny special treatment to advertisers

11. SPJ: Be Accountable 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…”

12. Major Grade Assignment
Acting as a journalist following the SPJ COE, write a separate essay for each of the following scenarios regarding how you would respond ethically. (see due dates)
Use Microsoft Word
Double Space
12 point font
1 inch margins
¾ of a page is a minimum length for each response
Save as [last name] Journalistic Ethics1 [class period] and submit each essay to Mr. Nigrelli via Google Drive by the end of class on the following dates:
Scenario 1: due 1/10
Scenario 2: due 1/12
Scenario 3: due 1/13

13. Major Grade Assignment
Scenario 1: The 20 year old son of a local and well liked politician has been charged with possession of drugs while on his college campus. The politician is running for reelection and will likely win, yet in a highly conservative district, the news of her son’s arrest might hurt her chances. 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 from his office. As he leaves, he puts a file regarding the disease on his desk and covers it with a magazine. He says he will be back in ten minutes. He has not discussed the contents of the file with you. Do you look in the folder?
Scenario 3: A man calls your office and tells you that he has smuggled documents out of his company that show the company has been falsifying its accounting processes for the last three years. He tells you that his company is about to be indicted for crimes his superiors have committed. He refuses to give you his name or tell you how he got the documents. Do you run the story?