JR 180 - Ethics in News Reporting

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to JR180 Ethics in News Reporting , a Bachelor of Science Level course in the curriculum for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Journalism. I am pleased to be your instructor and look forward to a lively and productive association as you continue in the exciting world of Journalism studies.

Please do not take your reading material lightly. There is purpose to the chosen text and as you move through your Journalism studies at Breyer State University , you will see the interaction of the individual courses overlap. We will be referencing and cross-referencing, so keeping your Journalism textbooks is important. Once a specific course is finished, it really is not finished! Don't turn your back on it! You might miss something! Work hard and enjoy this course. It's going to be an exciting course! To save time, let's just assume that I know everything. With that in mind, I want you to always remember that there is no one way to write. Anybody who tells you that is simply wrong. (Naturally, I do not know everything, but the statement went well with the admonition!)

PRE-REQUISITE: The pre-requisite of Journalism 180 is your successful completion of JR110 and JR150.

TIMEFRAME: This is a ten-week course and all requirements for the course must be completed by the end of the ten weeks. Your first day of class will be when you email me that you have received your books. Please stay very aware of the schedule and vigilantly monitor yourself as any possibility of time extended beyond the ten weeks will be a rare exception. The Journalism Degree is 110 credit hours. Successful completion of Ethics in News Reporting will give you 6 credit hours.

Book 1: The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and The Public Should Expect. Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. ISBN # 0609806912.

Book 2: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. Norm Goldstein 2 ed, ISBN # 0-7382-0740-3.

Keep in mind that when you have completed the twelve courses, these books will be an addition to your personal library of reference material and retain ongoing value to you.

EXAMINATIONS: There are two examinations for Journalism 180 which will include a mid-term and a final examination.

COMMUNICATIONS: I am available via email seven days a week and I check my email messages frequently. You will always hear from me within the same day. When you make me aware that your books have arrived and you are ready to begin, I will also give you a telephone number which you will be more than welcome to use if email messages do not answer your questions.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: In The Elements of Journalism, What Newspeople Should Know and The Public Should Expect , Kovach and Rosensteil define and study nine elements of journalism. Contemplate their importance and incorporate them into your current and future studies.

* Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.
* Its first loyalty is to citizens.
* Its essence is a discipline of verification.
* Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
* It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
* It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
* It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
* It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
* Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience

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.

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

1). Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
2). Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
3). Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
4). Always question sources' motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
5). 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.
6). Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
7). Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.
8). 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
9). Never plagiarize.
10). Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
11). Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
12). Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
13). Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
14). Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
15). Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
16). Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
17). Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.

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

1). Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
2). Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
3). Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.
4). 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.
5). Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
6). Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.
6). Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.
7). Balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with the public's right to be informed.

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

1). Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
2). Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
3). 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.
4). Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
5). Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
6). Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
7). Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.

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

1). Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.
2). Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.
3). Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
4). Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.
5). Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

ASSIGNMENTS: For specific course assignments, please click on the link "Assignments". If you have any questions, please email me. You will hear from me within the same day.

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may contact us at adm@breyerstate.com.

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