Chapter 1

Why Ethics Matters in Journalism

By P

rof.

Ho

lly J

oh

nso

n

2 Reasons to Be Ethical

• MORAL incentive: You want

to see yourself – and be

seen – as decent.

2 Reasons to Be Ethical

•PRACTICAL incentive: If a news organization is ethical, its reporting is more likely to be trusted.

Above the Pretenders

• Responsible

journalists

voluntarily

adhere to high

ethical

standards.

Professionalism means

Standards are outlined in ethics codes.

Myanmar

Media

Code of

Conduct

U.S. Society

of

Professional

Journalists

Code of

Ethics

The Goal of an Ethics Course

To help you make

morally sound

decisions.

• Good people can make

bad decisions.

The Goal of an Ethics Course

A systematic

decision

process is

required.

By H

olly J

ohnso

n

Learning Through Case Studies You can practice decision-making by analyzing real cases.

• You will benefit from real journalists’ experience.

• There is no deadline pressure.

• Nobody will be hurt if you make a mistake.

Ethics and the Internet

Time-tested standards of ethics must continue to apply in the new media environment.

Ethics Is NOT a Brake

You can be ethical and still

get the story . . .

with honor.