Question: Is it ethical to write a news story on a topic that you previously wrote an opinion piece for?

My answer: Definitely not. This is a conflict of interest. Even if the reader of the news story had no prior knowledge of the opinion piece, the journalist should know that this is a breach of media ethics. If a journalist's main objective is to be objective, then this dilemma convolutes the boundary between objective reporting and subjective opinion. Once your opinion is published and floating around the interweb, people know your stance and that can distort the accuracy of your reporting from the reader's perspective. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe a professional journalist is fully capable of writing an objective news story after having written an opinion piece, but capability is not the issue, it is fairness to your readers so that they have no way to be skeptical of your objective reporting. In an age where readers are skeptical of the news already, it is important and ethical to set these boundaries in the newsroom.

-Stellar Cassidy

PHOTOJOURNALISM ETHICS

Photo: Richard Drew, AP

This photo was used in an article by USA Today in response to 9/11. Rather than reporting along the narrative of nationalism and heroism, this article focused on the people who jumped--how these people's last autonomous moment was killing themselves. This photo, as tragic as it is, is... honest. Is it ethical to publish these type of photos? Does the shape of a story allow for a certain type of ethically questionable photography? How would you feel publishing this photo? What about this man's family? The link to the full article is here.

When it's Cruel (Ethically Speaking) to be Kind

Virginia Postrel on Harvard's Kindness Pledge

September 16, 2011

Author and FIRE Board of Directors member Virginia Postrel's latest column for Bloomberg View covers the Harvard "kindness" pledge that all freshmen were pressured into signing this year (the signed pledges were to be posted in every dormitory—a plan that has now been abandoned).

FIRE has covered the problems with this pledge in several articles and blog entries, as has former Dean of Harvard College Harry Lewis, but Postrel points out a new problem with making kindness king:

Meanwhile, to their peers, Harvard students may, if anything, be a little too nice. Some veteran faculty members tell me that the students' drive to succeed manifests itself in a surprising way. A social norm has emerged, they report, in which students avoid saying anything that might make others look bad in class, even if that restraint means stifling discussion.

"I note in the current generation of undergraduates a tendency to hold back on disagreement or criticism of other students in class," says Jeffry Frieden, a political scientist. "They're much more respectful of each other—much more than when I was an undergraduate. If someone states an opinion, even if absurd, they take it in stride."

There are advantages to this kind of politeness and kindness. But at universities, as Postrel points out, there are also drawbacks:

Kindness isn't a public or intellectual virtue, but a personal one. It is a form of love. Kindness seeks, above all, to avoid hurt. Criticism—even objective, impersonal, well- intended, constructive criticism—isn't kind. Criticism hurts people's feelings, and it hurts most when the recipient realizes it's accurate. Treating "kindness" as the way to civil discourse doesn't show students how to argue with accuracy and respect. It teaches them instead to neither give criticism nor tolerate it.

To the extent that kindness involves avoiding unwarranted or unfair criticism of others designed solely to hurt them, it's hard to argue against it as a value. But as Postrel points out, avoiding all criticism in a place dedicated first and foremost to learning can have serious drawbacks. After all, Harvard's one-word motto is Veritas—"truth"—not "kindness." If kindness starts to get in the way of the search for truth and knowledge at Harvard, the university would be wise to reevaluate its priorities.

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The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics

So Altshull says that there ought to be a committee that decides the standards of journalism ethics. While I am not sure how much traffic this site gets, ethicsadviceforjournalists.org has their own code of ethics that goes as follows:

Preamble

Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

________________________________________

Seek Truth and Report It

Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.

Journalists should:

Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.

Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.

Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.

Always question sources' motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.

Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.

Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.

Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.

Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story

Never plagiarize.

Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.

Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.

Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.

Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.

Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.

Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.

Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.

Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.

________________________________________

Minimize Harm

Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.

Journalists should:

Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.

Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.

Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.

Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.

Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.

Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.

Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.

Balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with the public's right to be informed.

________________________________________

Act Independently

Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.

Journalists should:

Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.

Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.

Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.

Disclose unavoidable conflicts.

Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.

Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.

Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.

________________________________________

Be Accountable

Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.

Journalists should: Preamble

Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

________________________________________

Seek Truth and Report It

Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.

Journalists should:

Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.

Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.

Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.

Always question sources' motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.

Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.

Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.

Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.

Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story

Never plagiarize.

Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.

Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.

Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.

Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.

Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.

Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.

Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.

Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.

________________________________________

Minimize Harm

Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.

Journalists should:

Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.

Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.

Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.

Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.

Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.

Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.

Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.

Balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with the public's right to be informed.

________________________________________

Act Independently

Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.

Journalists should:

Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.

Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.

Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.

Disclose unavoidable conflicts.

Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.

Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.

Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.

________________________________________

Be Accountable

Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.

Journalists should:

Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.

Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.

Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.

Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.

Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.

Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.

Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.

Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.

Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

The Trolley Problems are on YouTube

The Art of Interviewing: Flirtation & Cohabitation with the Subject

Take a look at this clip from one of my favorite films, "Thank You for Smoking." Is it ethical to do what Katie Holmes' character is doing? **WARNING: Some nudity and sexuality**

Six Criteria for Identifying Hype

Julie Moos posts persuasively at Poynter that what some called stormporn wasn't. She provides criteria to help making such judgments that are actually  helpful. And she cites a type of news coverage where we see hype/sensationalism at its most egregious.






Though hype is, in part, the difference between individual and collective judgment, hype does not always need to be subjective or solitary. Here are some objective criteria for determining whether news is hype, disproportionate to its relative impact.

• Amount of coverage: How much time and space is this news occupying?
• Dominance of coverage: Is this news taking over a platform (website, newscast, front page) and/or dominating several platforms?
• Prominence of coverage: How prominent is this news? Is it leading a newscast, on the front page?
• Type of coverage: Is the news trivial or vital? Are respected newsmakers acting as if it’s vital? Is the event unexpected, rare?
• Tone of coverage: How urgent is the message, how intense the delivery? Are the graphics and images conveying crisis?
• Context of coverage: What else could or should be receiving our attention instead?

These criteria explain why journalists are rightly accused of hyping the disappearances or murders of young, white females and ignoring the disappearances of young, black females. The context of coverage, in particular, points toward hype: We pay unequal attention to girls in peril, depending on their race.

Some Further Meditation on the Christmas Ornament Dilemma

It seems as though a solid argument that supports a question of ethics is the best means of overcoming a sticky ethical dilemma. Although several cases provoke a definite yes or no gut reaction, in media ethics, that is not enough. We need a "why" rather than a mere "what." In the case of the ornament dilemma, if the reporter were to explain exactly WHY (through the method of the potter box) his loyalties/values favor the grieving parents over the general readership by arguing why it is irrelevant that the reader know such a trivial fact and that it is not worth calling the parents back to ask such a question in their delicate state. I as a strict reader and non journalist would not even wonder what the color of the ornament was after reading the story, nor would I get any reader satisfaction from reading that fact if it were printed. Unless it had important relevance to the story as a whole, (say, the child mistook it for some kind of fruit, thus choked and died, and the story is now a forewarning against purchasing ornaments that resemble fruit when there are small, unknowing children in the house) then why would a reader want or need to know that fact.
When tackling ethical dilemmas that have to do with the publishing or withholding of facts and details, I think it is important to weigh what the story is about and what it is exactly trying to accomplish, and also, if the general readership would really want to know those facts and details. Does the newspaper lose any credibility if that fact is not published? What exactly is being lost by not seeking out the color of the ornament?

Adding Buddhism to the Potter Box

A friend who is both Buddhist and journalist responded thus to my questions about Buddhist ethics. He said that in his experience ethics was not a word often evoked by Buddhists. However,

I’ve heard teachers say that all you need to know are the Four Noble Truths. That encompasses Buddhism. You’re done. What they don’t tell you, at first anyway, is how incredibly dense, and difficult, and especially, how layered the Four Noble Truths are. It’s a lifetime of work.

Anyway, for your students, this is Buddhism, all the sects subscribe to the Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths

1. The First Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of Suffering. Life contains inevitable, unavoidable suffering.

2. The Second Noble Truth is the Cause of Suffering. The principal cause of suffering is clinging to anything at all.

3. The Third Noble Truth is the End of Suffering. The end of suffering comes with the end of clinging.

4. The Fourth Noble Truth is The Truth of the Path Leading to the End of Suffering. The Path is The Eightfold Path.

1. Right Understanding.

2. Right Aspiration

3. Right Effort

4. Right Speech

5. Right Conduct

6.Right Livelihood

7.Right Mindfulness

8.Right Concentration