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Weblog Ethics

-publish as fact only that which you believe to be true -if material exists online, link to it when you reference it -publicly correct any misinformation -write each entry as if it could not be changed; add to, but do not rewrite or delete an entry -disclose any conflict of interest -not questionable or biased sources

J.E. Chapter 1: Ethical Thinking

-some people just have excellent instincts of what is right and wrong -we many not always practice the best ethics -best way to arrive at ethical decision is ask the right questions!! -explain your reasoning and be sensible -ethics is a way to employ your beliefs in the process of reasoning Ethics-ethos, meaning character such as what a good person is morals- mores and the way or manner in which people have Moral reasoning- metaethics- study of very nature of ethics normative ethics-determining rules and principles for moral conduct as well as general theories of ethics

Why study ethics?

-stimulate your moral imagination and awareness of the consequences of your behavior -recognize ethical issues and anticipate possible dilemmas -develop your analytical skills through case studies and classroom discussions -enhance sense of moral obligations

Golden mean

Aristotle's golden mean theory holds that virtue in most cases is somewhere between the extremes. doing nothing and doing too much, between overachieving and underachieving, excess and deficiency.

Chapter 5

Bloggers are the watchdogs of the watchdogs Are Bloggers journalists? -figure out what makes someone a journalist -many argue that what bloggers do is real and valuable -both bloggers and journalists are committed to truth, but they have quite different ideas about how best to attain it -journalists hold an enlightenment view of truth as something rationally arrived at through well-tested methods, while bloggers do not see truth as resting on the decisions of one individual or group of individuals within a news organization, or see truths as having to do with attempts at objectivity (see truth as shared collective knowledge, from an electronically enabled marketplace of ideas" bloggers consider transparency the golden rule of the blogosphere -also pretty good at admitting, and correcting their own mistakes

Chapter 4: the right to be wrong: law and ethics

Congress shall make no low....abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." -can't say one thing is allowed and another isn't so they decided there are no rules

Chapter 6: Deception

Deception can take many forms: from outright lying to misleading, or misrepresenting or merely being less than forthright-intended to cause someone to believe what is not true outright lying or not revealing everything, maybe using hidden cameras, pretending to be someone else Deception checklist: -info is of profound importance -all other alternatives for obtaining info have been exhausted -fully willing to disclose nature of deception and reason of why to the public -harm prevented by the info revealed through deception outweighs harm cause by act of deception -meaningful, collaborative, deliberative decision-making process that weigh: consequences, impact on credibility, motivations legal implications, consistency

Chapter 3: Codes of Ethics and Beyond

Journalists are still ethically confused -helps solve dilemmas carefully and systematically Pros and Cons: supposed to act as the conscience of the professional, of the organization, of the enterprise. falls somewhere between societal and personal values on the one hand and law on the other even the best codes have built-in limitations code will be obeyed because individuals willingly subject themselves to ethical standards above and beyond their own personal beliefs or because the code has specific provisions for enforcement -list of sins and an outline of truly noble behavior

Online Journalism: Chapter 1

Most modern journalists would concede that pure objectivity is impossible, they recognize that the conventions of the inverted pyramid pose a number of inherent difficulties and that no one operates in a cultural vacuum or without personal biases -journalists cannot simply reflect reality -journalists also bring to their work their own upbringing, class and cultural attitudes, and personal beliefs/influenced by the routines and conventions of their work place -never add anything that wasn't there -never deceive the audience -be as transparent as possible about your methods and motives -rely on your own original reporting -exercise humility

Conflicts of Interest

Must remain free of associations and activities that may compromise their integrity or damage their own or organization's credibility. seek out competing perspectives without being unduly influenced by those who would use their power/position counter to the public interest occurs when individuals face competing loyalties to a source or to their own self-interest or to their organization's economic needs as opposed to the information needs of the public Checklist: (journalist must weigh their obligations against the impact of) -involvement in particular activities -affiliation with causes or organizations -acceptance of favors or preferential treatment -financial investments -outside employment -family and friendships ensure that their primary obligation to the public is not eroded by other legitimate goals such as: -quest for economic gain 0interest of being a good corporate citizen -concern for their own employees -the need to be competitive -am i being independent? -could my action harm my integrity? -is the mere appearance of conflict enough to diminish my credibility?

Chapter 5: Accuracy and Fairness

Providing meaningful information to citizens who depend on its quality, authenticity, and lack of bias accuracy means getting it right- and is an essential responsibility providing wrong information is a disservice to the public and erodes credibility portraying individuals and issues with basic sense of open-mindedness, avoiding biased reporting, stereotypical portrayals and allegations ACCURACY CHECKLIST: attributed and documented all facts? -double checked all facts? -can you provide properly spelled name and accurate phone number of every source you cited? -highly confident that factual statements reflect the truth? prepared to defend publicly your fact-checking -quotes presented fairly in context? quoting anonymous sources? Why? -have you been stereotypical? -used potentially objectionable language or pictures? headlines accurately represent facts and context? ACCURACY IS NOT THE SAME AS TRUTH: different people have different truths Reliability: people can trust your accuracy consistently. fairness: give everyone with a stake in the story a chance to explain is or her version

Codes of Ethics

Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing fair and comprehensive account of events and issues Seek truth and report it -fair, honest, courageous -test accuracy -identify sources -question motives -never distort content -never plagiarize -tell story of diversity and magnitude of human experience -avoid stereotyping minimize harm -show compassion -be sensitive -recognize gathering and reporting may cause discomfort -be cautious in identifying Act Independently -avoid conflicts of interest remain free of associations or activities that compromise integrity or damage credibility -deny favored treatment -refuse gifts Be accountable -clarify and explain news coverage -encourage public voice -admit mistakes and correct them -expose unethical practices

Racial identification:

Relevant? Explained the relevance? Is it free of codes? Racial identifiers used evenly? Should I consult someone of another race/ethnicity

Love thy neighbor as thyself

Remember that everyone , rich or poor, famous or forgotten, is as deserving of respect and fair treatment as you are. treat them all the way you would want to be treated (golden rule) REMEMBER: utilitarianism: produces greatest good for the greatest number of people and Relativism: anti-Kant school of thought "the moral thing to do depends on one's point of view. You decide what's right for you." Egalitarianism: embodies the idea that all individuals deserve equal treatment; minorities especially

Truth and Fairness, Integrity and Independence, Accountability

Truth: continuously seek truth -resist distortions -report anything known to be false fairness: treat all subjects of news coverage with respect and dignity -seek to understand diversity -be impartial, don't place primary value on certain things and not others Integrity: integrity and decency, avoiding conflicts of interest, respect audience, independence: gather and report news without fear or favor -resist those that seek to buy or politically influence news -defend the rights of free press for all journalists Accountability- -respond to public concerns -carefully listen -seek support for and provide opportunities to train employees in ethical decision-making

Ethical decision-making

What: describe situation, assemble facts, list all the angles, motivation, differences in opinion Who: the principals (people) who will make the decision and those who will be affected by it (stakeholders? who is responsible for the decision) Why: the principles (Standards) you will use in deciding what to do, balance between truth and minimizing harm How: decision, which loyalties you will stay true to, how do you answer the question and what was your rationale?

Chapter 3: gathering and sharing information

accuracy and credibility- factual, reliable information and compelling evidence presented in a balanced way -online sources has been a gold mine, allowing them easy entry into worlds of info that once were either difficult or impossible to access: expert opinions, divers and alternative points of view, little-known facts, comprehensive statistical data may not be authentic and credible info -the rush to publish, to keep up with digital competitors may make it impossible to balance a sensitive story by reaching sources with other points of view (time crunch) -when the info is from weblog, reporters must evaluate both the info and the source -have to think about how to fairly gather and accurately attribute sources of info from e-mails, web chat rooms, other web forums -growing practice of transparency Accuracy and Verification- check if it is self-serving, partisan dated or poorly documented the conversation problem-not having face to face interviews but emails and web posting (can't get some verbal cues, pauses, look on their face, tone in their voice) Design problem- strong sophisticated identify for news paper is hard and suggests reliability, but online it could take only a couple hundred dollars to look sophisticated and flashy 24 hour news cycle puts pressure on reporters and news organizations to put out as stories quickly, and could be inaccurate

Shield Laws: Who is a journalist?

all journalists/american citizens have the right to speak freely, but variation from state to state in laws designed to apply specifically to journalists -federal shield law is needed to safeguard journalists' ability to find out info the public needs, which sometimes can be obtained only by promising confidentiality to whistleblowers

Chapter 8: Diversity

clearly apart of accuracy and fairness, such as avoiding stereotypes or redefining news to better reflect a multicultural society. about the way stories are developed and who does the reporting, and inclusiveness in choosing sources and about giving voice to voiceless Checklist: inclusion (who is your staff? who is reading/watching your broadcast? what sources are being used? -combating prejudice: how are you helping readers/viewers/listeners learn about the world around them and to recognize and work against prejudice, ignorance and stereotypes that get in the way of good journalism and good management? -improving craft: how do we help journalists increase truth-telling by brining in seldom seen faces, heard voices, show places, and help show people and perspectives -Leading change: increase diversity of people who they report on, hear and see? hiring, recruiting, and promoting people with divers backgrounds

Who is a journalist

interactivity is important with new media ethic-engaging with other audiences - Bloggers Versus Traditional Media -technology has been central to this shift from the old ethic of the reporter's objectivity in gathering info and presenting it to the audience in the inverted pyramid style to the new collaborative, conversational

Chapter 2: role of a journalist

journalists are not licensed, not hired or legitimized and controlled by government- they have to work out their own role definitions according to their perception of what society needs, and ethical recognition that Constitutional protection must be knowingly and socially destructive Journalists distribute information to public must think of social contract, what their contract is with their audience -should be aware of several positions as they participate in principled and reasoned decision making -immersed in variety of differing loyalties and ties that affect pure gathering and distributing of information -paramount importance of distributing information to a democratic society use moral reasoning and can follow principles rather than routine and tradition

Libel Law

liability is a matter of state law, through the criteria for determining whether a published statement is libelous are fairly uniform from state to state -to win a libel suit plaintiffs must prove that defamatory language, damaging to their reputation or causing other personal harm such as emotional distress was used and that they were identified by the defamatory statement -statement must have been published as a result of negligence or recklessness; publisher must have been at fault -internet raises the possibility that plaintiffs can bring their libel suits in countries where the bar is much lower

Chapter 7: Minimizing Harm

one of four major sections of SPJ code of ethics. major factor in moral reasoning and ethical decision-making ask yourself: who gets hurt if we tell the story? does it benefit the public to know the truth, and does that outweigh the harm? -being sensitive to the consequences of what you do as a journalist -gathering info may cause harm or discomfort -let your humanity show through checklist: -show compassion for those affected by news coverage -be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photos -recognize it may cause harm or discomfort -recognize people have a greater right to control info about themselves than do public officials that seek power -show good taste, avoid pandering to lurid curiosity -be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes -balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with public's right to be informed Fairness checklist: -is the meaning distorted by over or under emphasis? -facts and quotations in proper context -are the headlines and teases warranted by the text -have you done your best to report all sides of the story? -been compassionate? -have all relevant people gotten a chance to reply?

Photojournalism

photographers very often expected to go into situations involving tragedy, to cover clashes between groups of people to record public actions of people who wish to protect their privacy Checklist: (before taking the pic) -am i invading someone's privacy and is it for an appropriate reason? -is this a private moment of pain and suffering? -does this image tell the story I want -am i shooting at a distance that is not intrusive or potentially revictimizing individuals? -am i acting with compassion and sensitivity prior to publication: -do i need more information about facts or context -is there information missing from the content of the image -what is the news value of the image -what is the motivation for publishing? -what are the ethical and legal concerns? -who will be offended? -possible consequences of using photo or image? -minimize harm? -justify actions?

Privacy

public has need for information that others like to keep private -gathering and distribution of such details might invade someone's sense of privacy -telling principles and minimizing harm -identifying people can cause harm -harm from privacy invasion is almost certain Checklist: -how important is info i'm seeking? does the public have a right to know? -what level of protection do individuals involved in the story deserve? how much harm might they receive? -how would i feel if i was being subjected to the same scrutiny? -what do i do to minimize the privacy invasion -can i clearly and fully justify my thinking and decision

Libel

publication of something about an individual that is both false and defamatory -harms person's reputation among right-thinking people libelous speech is outside the protection of the First Amendment.

Chapter 4: Ethics and Law

same laws apply online as offline, the application of those laws can be tricky online -raising concerns about deception, intruding on someones privacy by using the internet -most content published on the web is legally published and is fair game to a reporter, but it includes a range of other interpersonal communication forms -should journalists use what people say in such public online venues? -right to be let alone -intrusion or the unwarranted violation of the person's physical solitude -publicity of embarrassing private facts -placement of a person in a false light, publishing distortions that leave an erroneous impression -same laws apply on and offline, the internet and other digital technologies can make privacy concerns acute

Guiding principles for the journalists

seek truth and report it minimize harm act independently be accountable Duty of journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues

Privacy

the constitution does not explicitly recognize a right to privacy 4th amendment does however protect individuals from unreasonable intrusion into their private lives by the government, but says nothing about the actions of journalists Federal government does little to regulate the actions of private citizens first amendment generally protects the publication of truthful private facts, but cannot be basis of libel suit because facts published aren't false may be legal to use hidden camera but news organizations may think it is deceptive

Transparency

transparency- one source of bloggers' credibility, stems from bloggers openness about their biases and from their extensive linking to documents, sources, and supporting evidence transparency instead of objectivity? -upfront about their biases, speak from the heart and use a personal voice while most mainstream journalists are constrained by institutional objectivity works well with modes of writing that are persuasive and confessional-tell where you're coming from and your thoughts, be transparent sharing all information bringing users into the process opening up editorial pages Transparency as ethical principle: be as transparent as possible about your reporting methods and motives, "explain how you learned something and why you believe it, so the audience can do the same"

Chapter 2

widely used definition of a journalist is a gatekeeper: a person whose judgement determines what information is and is not worthy to pass through a metaphorical gate for dissemination to the public online journalism-content accessible through the World Wide Web "internet" -harder to identify who is and who is not a journalist traditional newsrooms have multiple gatekeepers at various stages of the news production process Who is a journalist? no official definition and no formal requirements -anyone can be a journalist, the question is whether their work constitutes journalism -work being done stems from a respect for and adherence to the principles of truthfulness an allegiance to citizens and community at large, and informing rather than manipulating -also focus on process of journalism-how they make news "through work routines, newsroom structures, decisions about who should not go into a finite news product and etc. -ideas about professionalism and process -less about who they are or what they do, but how and why they do it -journalists are journalists whatever the medium -online journalists as gatekeepers-still construct public knowledge in particular way but no gate in the online environment

Blogger's Code of Ethics

written by Jonathan Dube -should be honest and fair in gathering, reporting and interpreting information -never plagiarize -identify and link to sources whenever feasible -make certain that weblog entries, quotations, headlines, photos and all other contend to not misinterpret -never distort content -never publish info they know is inaccurate -distinguish between advocacy, commentary and factual information -distinguish factual info and commentary from advertising MINIMIZE HARM: -treat sources and subjects as human beings that deserve respect -show compassion for those who may be affected, special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects -recognize that gathering and reporting info may cause harm or discomfort -private people have a greater right to control info about themselves -show good taste -be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects, victims of ex crimes and criminal suspects BE ACCOUNTABLE: -admit mistakes and correct them promptly -explain each weblogs misson and invite dialogue with the public over its content -disclose conflicts of interests, affiliations, activities and personal agendas -be wary of sources offering information for favors -deny favored treatment