Every day, thousands of citizens throughout the United States turn on their television to watch the national news. Unfortunately, the information they gather may be tainted as a result of bad ethics and morals that are used to create the stories. When “ethics are woven into every element of journalism” (Kovach 232), it is hard to decipher between fact and fiction. It may seem that there are many ethical codes that the media has to follow, but one man’s gossip is another man’s news. Because of this, questions arise when the media is looking for a breaking story. Do companies follow the ethic codes or even the moral standards of themselves? What will they ‘forget’ about just so they can discover a story that appeals to their audience? The media violates ethical standards in order to find a story worth paying for. Privacy is a huge concern for society and the media may go against their ethical standards to please the public: Invasions of privacy will occur. There are many events that are considered an invasion of privacy: “Revealing private, sensational facts about a person's sexual activity, health or economic status can constitute an invasion of privacy” (“First Amendment”). This can become a problem considering that the public puts value in media coverage. However, privacy should not be intruded upon depending on the severity. For example, September 11, 2001 was a terrible day that affected millions across the nation. The plane that flew into the Twin Towers will be hard for many to forget. It would have been terrible if the media documented the bodies of the killed on the ground. It would also be terrible if no coverage was made whatsoever. A fine line is traced when it comes to privacy and the media needs to follow any ... ... middle of paper ... ...ers Committee for Freedom of the Press. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. . Henry, Neil. American Carnival: Journalism under Siege in an Age of New Media. Berkeley: University of California, 2007. Print. Kovach, Bill, and Tom Rosenstiel. The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect. New York: Crown, 2001. Print. Rosen, Jeffrey. The Unwanted Gaze: the Destruction of Privacy in America. New York: Random House, 2000. Print. "Seventy Percent of Media Consumers Use Multiple Forms of Media at the Same Time, According to a Study for The Media Center at API - American Press Institute." The API Homepage- American Press Institute. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. pressinstitute.org/>. White, William Smith. The Making of a Journalist. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, 1986. Print.
In Rushworth Kidder’s book “How Good People Make Tough Choices,” Kidder provides a series of different methods, codes and examples of what being an ethical journalist could mean. He gives examples of different situations where a person’s ethics are tested and what would be a good way to deal with these situations. He starts by explaining the difference between things that are right-versus-right dilemmas, and those that are right-versus-wrong dilemmas.
On July 6, 2005, a federal judge ordered Judith Miller, journalist for the The New York Times, to jail. Miller was involved in the exposure of Valerie Plume as a CIA operative. In questioning, Miller invoked reporter’s privilege by refusing to disclose the identity of her sources, fueling fire to a heavily debated ethical issue in the field of journalism (Pinguelo, “A Reporter’s Confidential Source…Revealed?”). Successful journalism tells the truth to a public who has the right to know it. Journalists have the responsibility to tell us a story laden with facts and the more important responsibility of revealing the source of their information, right? Not necessarily. The right of journalists to keep their sources private has been a long-standing debate. The ethics in this debate are blurry. On one hand, it may be extremely important to the issue at hand that the source of information be known, as an argument could lose credibility otherwise. On the other hand, the source has the right as an American and an individual to remain anonymous. Isn’t it enough that he or she came forward with information at all? Judith Miller’s case garnered public attention and is just one example of many instances that raise the same, consistently debated question- how far can journalists go in protecting their sources and under what circumstances does withholding the identity of a source become unethical for either party involved? The answer to this question is obscure, but solvable. Journalists should have the right to protect to identity of a source unless the information they possess is for the greater good of the public or the situation at hand.
While it is accurate that everyone needs privacy but has that gone too far? David took privacy a little too far in the article and definitely neglected to mention that it is rarely for any of us has to deal with situation that involved police
Glenn Greenwald, a talented and widely read columnist on civil liberties for the Guardian newspaper, failed in his attempt to alarm his readers to the flagrant and widespread violations of American privacy. Although his article was full of facts, documentation, and quotes from top rank officials, the article did not convey any sense of wrong doing or outrage. Rather it was dull, lacked passion and a sense of persuasion. In fact, the only attention grabbing part in the whole article is the title.
In comparing ethical issues surrounding the journalists in “All The President’s Men” and “Welcome To Sarajevo”, there are several ethical issues that the journalists experienced. Ethics are an important aspect of journalism, since journalists face a multitude of ethical issues within their industry. Therefore, there are ethical guidelines that journalists’ use called “The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics” [SPJ Code of Ethics]. When analyzing how the journalists in “All The President’s Men” and “Welcome To Sarajevo”, one can refer to the SPJ Code of Ethics to observe the possible ethical issues the journalists experienced. The four main concepts in the SPJ Code of Ethics are: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently,
Pictures of a frightened family and scared Elian were captured in the home. This is unethical according to Chapter 6 of Media Ethics by Philip Patterson and Lee Wilkins (2008) which speaks about privacy and the difference between the right to privacy and a need for privacy. John Rawls theory of justice revolves around the adaptation of two fundamental principles of justice. The first principle guarantees the right of each person to have the most extensive basic liberty compatible with the liberty of others and the second principle states that social and economic positions are (a) to be everyone 's advantage and (b) to be open to all. With that being said, the media lacked an extension of privacy with the pictures they revealed. However, names of the family and people involved were not presented in this case study which makes one think that maybe they tried to protect the privacy of the family, but the pictures ruined it all by showing faces. With that being said, the legal and ethical issues involved in photojournalism in the area of privacy are
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”(Benjamin Franklin). Privacy is considered a civil liberty issue. It reflects the American fundamental values such as civil liberties, limited government, and individualism. It covers the whole range of civil liberties spectrum and it holds every aspect of our life. It plays a major role on our daily lives and it is also a main structure in the future of democratic political system (Wemmer, 2012.) Privacy has evolved overtime, privacy can be interpreted from the First ,Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Fourteenth Amendments in the Constitution; however Americans don’t consider the importance of privacy until cases such as Griswold v. Connecticut (381 U.S. 479, 1965), Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113, 1973), Mapp v. Ohio (367 U.S. 643, 1961) are brought to the court.
As the turn of the 21st Century evolved, it appeared as if Adelphia Communications Corporation was on a direct path of success; unbeknownst to their investors and the public, they were in reality on a direct path of destruction instead. Unfortunately, Adelphia is not the first major company in the history of the United States’ business world to lose the trust of the American public, but it is certainly one of the most notable ones to do so. As the events surrounding the Adelphia scandal unfolded in full view of the public eye, a multitude of media outlets were there to broadcast the destruction and distrust to the masses leaving many wondering if the term “business ethics” was actually nothing more than just an oxymoron. Throughout this paper, we will discuss the events surrounding the rise and fall of the Adelphia Communications Corporation and identify two of the ethical problems associated with the scandal while applying them to the deontological framework and Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative.
In today’s global society, a Code of Ethics policy is used to label established, acceptable behaviors among that industry’s business associates, potential investors, and the corporation’s executive officers and employees, and most important, the consumer (Ethics Resource Center, 2003). In an attempt to promote an increased efficiency and productivity potential level, among employees and prospective clients, a corporation’s standard Code of Ethics should guide its members toward a more in-depth examination of their personal moral activity, and how these actions affect the people or acquaintances they encounter. A company should utilize this strategy as a model for the professional behaviors and responsibilities of its constituents, and proves the occupational advancement of that business. Ethics are important in every level of a corporation, but specifically in the day-to-day actions of its members, and the image the company broadcasts to its associates is fundamental in building a stable business foundation. These pledges are a vital communication tool used to covey the firm’s standards for business operations, and predominantly, its relationships with the surrounding communities (Ethics Resource Center, 2003).
Media surveillance can have good as well as bad consequences. Misinterpretation and panics fabricated by news media have often threatened security in good policies, people, and products. The individuals and economic implications have been huge. For instance, suspicious stories that challenged the well-being of bioengineered foods lead to the lose millions of dollars in the damaged
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) provides a very clear and thorough Code of Ethics, which serves as a good definition of ethical journalism. According to this code, an ethical journalist must try to minimize any potential harm done to people directly involved with the event being reported. Such a journalist should also act independently of any personal biases, and be responsive to any criticism of their work. Finally, a truly ethical journalist must seek to find and report the truth (Society). Common sense reaffirms these guidelines. When one thinks of ethical behavior, one usually thinks along terms of being truthful, appreciative of others, acting responsively and using fair judgement. All of these concepts are explicitly stated in the SPJ's Code of Ethics.
source. Too often today, media is spoon fed by corporations. Media has a responsibility to objectivity that can be important in keeping businesses honest. But, it’s really up to media to maintain that objectivity.
"Journalism Ethics Online Journalism Ethics Gatekeeping." Journalism Ethics for the Global Citizen. Web. 05 Dec. 2010. .
2013 jan 04: B.1. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. . ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Privacy and the Press."
The 'Standard'. The NWICO debate, Unit 20 of the MA MA in Mass. Communications (By Distance Learning). Centre for Mass Communications Research, University of Leicester, United Kingdom. Nygren. G.; Witschge T. (2009).