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© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
Chapter 15 – Mass Media Ethics: Taking
Responsibility
Chapter Outline
• Ethics Define Responsibilities
• Truthfulness Affects Credibility
Fabrications
Plagiarism
Misrepresentation
• Fairness Means Evenhandedness
Insider Friendships
Conflicts of Interest
Checkbook Journalism
• Privacy Involves Respect
Private Acts That Become Public
Reporting on Rape
• Responsibility Generates Trust
• Five Philosophical Principles Govern Media Ethics
• Media’s Ethical Decisions Carry Consequences
• Professional Associations Proscribe Behavior
Society of Professional Journalists Codifies Conduct
Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Code Covers
Electronic News
National Press Photographers Association Addresses Visual Journalism
Interactive Advertising Bureau Addresses Digital Ads
Public Relations Society of America Sets Standards
• Media Organizations Respond to Criticism
News Councils
Readers’ Representatives
Correction Boxes
• Professional Codes Preserve Media Credibility
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
Suggested Activities, Discussions, and Exercises
1. Pose an ethical dilemma for the class and ask each student to write about
how the dilemma would be resolved, using each of the five philosophical
principles.
2. Invite a newspaper readers’ representative (if there is one locally) or a
television news director to come to class and discuss his/her role and the
ethics of the profession.
3. Put students in groups and have them determine a current or historic case
of ethics they’d like to investigate further. Have each student or a small
group research a different case, being sure to cite their sources. Ask them
to bring copies of articles to class and discuss the way each case was
handled. Ask them to prepare both pro and con sides to the cases and
present them in class.
4. Divide the class into four or five groups. Assign each group a television or
cable network newscast and ask them to watch the newscast for a week,
looking for potential ethical issues such as invasion of privacy, checkbook
journalism, conflict of interest, or expression of editorial opinion not
identified as such. Ask each group to describe what they think are some
potential ethical problems and discuss both the issue and any potential
remedies available.
5. Ask each student to examine a major national or large city newspaper, as
well as a community weekly or small city newspaper, to notice whether the
distinction is clear between news, editorial opinion and advertorials—
advertisements that are created to look like news stories. Ask some
students to report their findings in class, particularly any instances of
potential confusion or lack of clear distinction between news reporting and
other material in the publication.
Activity Pages
Use the following activity pages as class handouts for exercises and to
accompany some of the classroom Ideas described above.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
The Sacramento Bee’s Cardinal Rules
The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee’s Cardinal Rules were introduced between 1857 and
1884 by editor/publisher James McClatchy, and expanded by his son and
successor, C. K. McClatchy, according to Eleanor McClatchy, The Bee’s publisher
from 1936 to 1978. The Rules were written expressly for reporters and editors but
were shared with the paper’s readers for the first time in 1908, when C. K. wrote
that they “…constantly stare at the workers on this paper from their frames on the
wall.” Which rules still seem appropriate today, and which ones reflect the social
values of the period? What rules would you add? Would you delete any rules?
What do the rules say about the historical development of journalistic ethics?
• The Bee demands of all its writers
accuracy before anything else. Better to lose
an item than make a splurge one day and
correct it the next.
• Equally with that, it demands absolute
fairness in the treatment of the news.
Reports must not be colored to please a
friend or wrong an enemy.
• Do not editorialize in the news columns. An
accurate report is its own best editorial.
• Do not exaggerate. Every exaggeration
hurts immeasurably the cause it pretends to
help.
• If a mistake is made, it must be corrected.
It is as much the duty of a Bee writer to work
to the rectification of a wrong done by an
error in an item, as it is first to use every
precaution not to allow that error to creep in.
• Be extremely careful of the names and
reputations of women. Even when dealing
with an unfortunate, remember that so long
as she commits no crime, other than her
own sin against chastity, she is entitled to at
least pity.
• The names of rape victims of all ages will
not be used except when death occurs or
extraordinary circumstances are involved.
This applies not only in cases reported to
the law enforcement authorities but also in
reporting rape trials in open court.
• Sneers at race or religion, or physical
deformity, will not be tolerated. Dago, Mick,
Sheeny, even Chink or Jap, these are
absolutely forbidden. This rule of regard for
the feelings of others must be observed in
every avenue of news, under any and all
conditions.
• There is a time for humor and a time for
seriousness. The Bee likes snap and ginger
at all times. It will not tolerate flippancy on
serious subjects on any occasion.
• The furnisher of an item is entitled to a
hearing for his side at all times, not
championship. If the latter is ever deemed
necessary, the editorial department will
attend to it.
• Interviews given the paper at the paper’s
request are to be considered immune from
sneers or criticism.
• In every accusation against a public official
or private citizen, make every effort to have
the statement of the accused given
prominence in the original item.
• In the case of charges which are not ex
officio or from a public source, it is better to
lose an item than to chance the doing of a
wrong.
• Consider The Bee always as a tribunal
which desires to do justice to all; which fears
far more to do injustice to the poorest
beggar than to clash swords with wealthy
injustice.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
Readers’ Representative/News Director Guest Speaker
Invite a local newspaper readers’ representative or a television news director to
speak to your class about the ethics of the profession. Make up a list of questions
and be sure to write down the answers. Be prepared to discuss the answers or to
write a brief paper about your findings. A list of suggested questions follows.
• What is the proper spelling of your name?
• What is your title and the proper name of your newspaper/TV station?
• How long have you been a readers’ representative/news director? How long have you
been working in journalism?
• Describe your role as the readers’ representative/news director. What do you do?
• What is your policy about accepting gifts, trips, or tickets? What kinds of things do you
allow or not allow?
• (To students: Choose a famous ethical situation that you’ve studied in class and ask
the readers’ representative/news director to offer her/his opinion of the situation.)
• How can the media accommodate both the First Amendment concept of a free press
and the right of the nation’s citizens to privacy?
• Can you tell us about some of the ethical decisions that have arisen in your newsroom?
What were their outcomes?
• What has happened to journalists in your newsroom who made poor ethical choices?
• Discuss the dangers inherent in digitally or manually manipulating photographs. When
is it permissible to alter a photograph in your newsroom? Who reviews the
photographers’ work for ethical content?
• Has a reporter at your paper/station ever been asked to turn over her/his notes and
tapes by a judge? What happened?
• What is your policy on reporting the names of rape victims? Of child abuse victims? Of
suicide victims? Of prominent people with AIDS?
• What should reporters, editors or photographers do when placed in awkward ethical
situations?
• What can reporters do to ensure that they do not violate ethical principles?
• What are some of the major ethical violations that you anticipate will become more
common in the 21st century? Which ones will become less common? Why?
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
Chapter 15 Quiz
Multiple Choice
1. Which ethical question is raised by a reporter who misrepresents the
facts or creates false stories and attributes them to others?
a. fairness
b. truthfulness
c. responsibility
d. bias
2. New York Times reporter Zachery Kouwe was suspended because he:
a. plagiarized portions of an article he wrote for The Times from an article by a
Wall Street Journal reporter.
b. created a composite character for a news story.
c. relied on insider friendships.
d. was caught in a conflict of interest.
3. When reporters go on free trips and/or are given free passes to
entertainment events, it could result in:
a. checkbook journalism.
b. misrepresentation.
c. conflict of interest.
d. disinformation.
4. Making decisions based on principles that you want to be universally
applied is an example of:
a. Kant’s categorical imperative.
b. Aristotle’s golden mean.
c. Fromm’s treatise on love and mutual respect.
d. John Stuart Mill’s principle of utility.
ANS: A
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
5. The journalistic concept of fairness is reflected in:
a. Kant’s categorical imperative.
b. Fromm’s treatise on love and mutual respect.
c. Aristotle’s golden mean.
d. Mill’s principle of utility.
e. Rawls’ veil of ignorance.
6. Codes of ethics established by professional and industry groups:
a. have the force of law, and violators can be prosecuted.
b. are voluntary and carry no penalties.
c. have the force of law, but are rarely enforced.
d. must be approved by regulatory bodies, such as the FTC and FCC.
7. A readers’ representative (ombudsperson):
a. is always the editor of the paper.
b. acts as a go-between from the public to the newsroom.
c. is not allowed to criticize the paper’s actions.
d. is hired by the public to oversee local news operations.
8. A news council:
a. is required by law in every U.S. city.
b. has ultimate enforcement power over media.
c. reveals the media’s mistakes to the public.
d. reviews complaints from the public and reports its findings to the offending
news organization.
9. Which of the following ethical breaches was not involved in the case of
Jayson Blair and The New York Times?
a. plagiarized material from other news sources
b. checkbook journalism
c. fabricated comments and quotes
d. misrepresentation of reporting location
ANS: B
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
10. Situational ethics, often applied by journalists to their reporting, may at
any time involve which of the following philosophical principles?
a. Aristotle’s golden mean
b. Mill’s principle of utility
c. Judeo-Christian view of persons as ends in themselves
d. any combination of these answers
11. When Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth offered
sponsorships to lobbyists to underwrite an exclusive “salon” at her home,
which ethical principle was breached?
a. truthfulness
b. fairness
c. responsibility
d. conflict of interest
12. Which of the following is an example of “checkbook journalism”?
a. Walt Disney World’s paying expenses for journalists attending a Disney event
b. Reporters who paid neighbors of Jaycee Lee Dugard for information about her
alleged kidnappers Phillip and Nancy Garrido
c. A freelance photojournalist’s ramming the car of actress Lindsay Lohan in
order to get photographs of her reaction
d. Payment by a public relations firm to syndicated columnist Armstrong Williams
to promote No Child Left Behind legislation to African-Americans
13. Which of the following activities runs counter to the Society of
Professional Journalists’ ethical guideline to “act independently”?
a. A freelance photojournalist’s ramming the car of actress Lindsay Lohan in
order to get photographs of her reaction.
b. Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke’s admitted fabrication of an 8-year-old
heroin addict from a composite of several children she had interviewed.
c. CNN’s reporters blending in with Fish and Wildlife agents during a raid on a
ranch in Montana
d. The Des Moines Register’s disclosure of rape victim Nancy Ziegenmeyer’s
name with Ziegenmeyer’s voluntary cooperation.
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part. 145
ANS: C
14. ABC chief anchor George Stephanopoulous’ relationship with former
President Bill Clinton is an example of what?
a. an insider friendship
b. checkbook journalism
c. an invasion of privacy
d. None of these answers is correct.
15. An example of misrepresentation is:
a. the promotion of Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act by columnist Armstrong
Williams.
b. the Las Vegas Sun revealing Liberace’s struggle with AIDS weeks before his
death.
c. James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces.
d. the printing of rape victim Nancy Ziegenmeyer’s name in The Des Moines
Register.
True/False
1. The National News Council was disbanded in 1984, and there are currently
two local news councils remaining in the U.S.
2. All U.S. media organizations are required to comply with ethical standards
adopted by the Society of Professional Journalists.
3. Immanuel Kant said that people should make decisions based on principles
that they want to be universally applied.
4. According to the Radio-Television Digital News Association, electronic
journalists do not have the same responsibility to the public as print and
broadcast journalists do.
5. A paid interviewee has no incentive to sensationalize information.
ANS: F
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
Essay Questions
1. Describe the ethical dilemmas facing a reporter who is reporting on rape.
2. Describe the breach of journalistic ethics known as misrepresentation of
facts, using the example of Jayson Blair.
3. How effective has the use of news councils, readers’ representatives and
correction boxes been in overcoming ethical abuses and erroneous
reporting?
4. Name and explain four different types or categories of ethical issues faced
by media and journalists.
5. Define and briefly describe the ethical problem of checkbook journalism.
