What does the Constitution say about

Journalism Ethics?

*Absolutely nothing!!!!*The constitution only guarantees free press!!!!*The author of the book “Freedom to Publish” once said “ A country that tolerates censorship of press can not truly be free.”

The constitution and Ethics

Lets consider the First Amendment of the US Constitution

Congress shall pass no law respecting and establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

What is Ethics?•A system of moral principles that guides the

writing and reporting process.

•A set of standards upheld by a particular publication or individual involved in news

coverage.

•A philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to right or wrong in reporting news.

Fort Worth Star TelegramLiberalCover things like abortionPromote DemocratsWill Bush bash quickly

Dallas Morning NewsConservativeSkirt the abortion issueMore family sensitive in what & how they report

Three things guiding Ethics•Beliefs/Convictions: Settled profound or earnest thought that something is not right.

•Values: Ideals, Customs, institutions, etc. that arouse an emotional response, for or against

them, in society or person.

•Morals: Refers to the generally accepted customs of conduct and right living in society.

ConfidentialityThe assurance of secrecy for

restricted information given to you as a reporter.Never do this!!

Do not promise confidentiality!

Off the Record StatementsThis is when someone comments to a reporter but doesn’t want the information printed.This is gossip and we don't use this either!

Fairness to AllReporting that is fair to all people.You must not discriminate against race, age, etc. in your story.If you write a story about a group on a negative side make sure your story is fair to that group. Both sides of the story are to presented.

ObjectivityThis refers to the journalist keeping his/her personal feelings, convictions or thoughts out of the story.

You report the facts!!!!

You let the audience decide what to think!!!

You must stay unbiased in your story!!!Save your opinions for editorials not news

or sports stories.

Right of Reply or Simultaneous RebuttalSimply put, you must allow a person or group who is being criticized to respond within the same story.•When you report controversial things make sure to present both sides.This is when you must interview everyone involved in the story.

Six ways you can operate ethically as

a journalist:1. Do not betray your credibility as a friend. Let a source know he/she is an interview and ask if you can use their statements in print. DO NOT PRINT CONVERSATIONS.

2. When the coverage is for an organization, ask yourself: Is it news, or is it public relations? Ask yourself: What is the purpose of the story?

3. While the First Amendment doesn’t say a story has to be fair, impartial or balanced , your readers demand this.If you do not print both sides in the same issue, you can destroy the credibility towards you, your staff and the publication.

4. Beware of hurting unnamed persons. Take into consideration the feelings of family and friends of a student interviewed or written about.Be careful not to invade the privacy of these people by quoting something questionable they said in the interview.

6. Ask yourself: Is the language used in the article….A. Essential to the quoteB. Acceptable in the classroom

Being a Responsible journalist means

publishing responsible stories

Lets look at a few things not to do when

reporting

1.Do not promise to keep something “off the record.” You may not be able to keep the promise

2.Be very careful about accepting free things for story coverage. Avoid being bought.

3.If you can avoid it do not report on an activity your are involved in. Let another reporter handle the story

4. Do not let your personal views get in the way of your obligation to the readers.

5. Acceptance of advertising should be based on moral and ethical considerations

6. Be aware of community standards regarding obscenity and profanity

7. Verify any outside story information from press releases etc.

8. Use a number of sources in your story from various sides of the issue.

9. Anonymous sources are never acceptable and can damage you, your staff and the publication’s credibility.

Looking at the legal side of things:

Libel, Slander, Malice, Prior Review, Hazelwood

LibelWhat is It?

Any false statement that is printed in a newspaper, magazine or legal document.

It brings a person into public hatred.•It causes him/her to be shunned or avoided by the public.

•It injures him/her in his business or profession.

What must be present for Libel to occur?

Identification:DefamationPublication

Identification:A complete identification must include the following:The person’s Full NameThe person’s grade or ageThe person’s gender

Defamation:•Any statement that tends to do a person harm. •Any statement that suggest that a person has done something improper, illegal, or immoral within a story.

Publication:•When a third party has a chance to view printed text containing libel statementsThis means that someone in your audience has had a chance to read the story.

Defending LibelThere is only One TRUE

defence against Libel:

THE TRUTHIf you always strive to tell the truth in your stories you will always be protected against Libel.

Slander What is It?Slander is spoken words that are published that are intended to defame a person

Malice What is It?The desire to harm others or see others suffer; ill will;spite

•The intent, without just cause or reason, to commit an unlawful act that will result in injury to another or others.

Someone must be able to prove your DESIRE and INTENT was to harm them in order to sue for Malice. If these do not exist you can defend yourself on these terms.

Prior Review What is It?The right for an administrator of a school to read a proof of a school newspaper before it is printed.

Hazelwood VS Kuhlmeir

In 1983, students in a Journalism II class at Hazelwood East High School disapproved of a section dealing with the impact of divorce on students. The principal chose to delete the two stories after reviewing a proof of the paper.

Hazelwood continued:

The students took the district to court claiming that their first amendment right was violated.

The supreme court ruled in favour of the district. They stated that the school newspaper was not a “forum for public expression” like a

privately owned publication. By making this decision, the court would establish something that would make history for high school publications. Now School districts have a right to censor and eliminate any stories or quotes that they deem to be inappropriate or that might be on the borders of libel.

Your Ethics AssignmentUsing your own paper, respond to the following situations based on what we discussed in class. Be sure to put your name, class period and Ethics Assignment on your paper. Before you respond you should put the situation you are responding then put your response.

Each response should answer the following questions in sentence format:

* Would you cover this story?* If you would cover the story, how would you handle

the situation?* If not, explain why you would not cover the story.* Explain the Ethical issues you would face in each

situation based on our lesson today.

Remember – all answers should be in sentence format and each response should be at least three paragraphs.

Situation #1

A student who is very popular on your campus was involved in a major car accident on Friday. You are a reporter for your school newspaper that is scheduled to come out next Wednesday. You find out early Monday morning that the accident has occurred

Situation #2

You are a local reporter for your school newspaper and two students get into a huge fight at a basketball game. This has been a growing problem before the game. As a reporter you make the decision whether to cover the story. If you cover the story how will you handle the situation? Think about whether you would use names, reasons for the fight, punishment, etc.

Situation #3

You have obtained a photograph that shows someone painting graffiti in the school locker rooms. You know the students in the picture that were doing the painting. There is a reward for information leading to this incident. You are the reporter for your school paper and you want to break the story before giving out any information. First is this a good idea to print the photo and a story first? If you choose not to print it explain why and what you should do instead. Should you release the photo and if so how would you handle it?

Situation #4

You are a photographer for your school newspaper and you take a photo in the hallway to be used in the yearbook. When you take the photo you get a shot of two couples that are kissing in the hallway during passing periods. This is against school policy and you have the photo in hand. How should you deal with this issue based on journalism ethics? Should you destroy the photo? What should you do with the photo if you do not destroy it? How would you handle this situation?