Verified Document

Journalism Ethics There Were Several Term Paper

Thus, the media hunted for items, building a case against Hatfill, in essence creating news rather than reporting it. Better balanced could have been easily provided by giving Hatfill and the FBI investigators more voice. In order to prevent this from happening again, guidelines could be put into place. The first guideline would be to conduct an independent investigation into all details, including those gleaned from other news outlets. It should not be assumed that other news outlets are providing coverage of the highest integrity. Indeed, this guideline flows from the code of ethics: "expose unethical practices of journalists and news media."

Another guideline that could be implemented is that the outlet should not "create" news by digging up items of conjecture regarding the subject, but should rather report the findings of official investigations. In this case, this would involve reporting the FBI's official announcements on the issue.

If I was the editor of the paper, I would run the story. However, I would have more fully vetted the story and provided more balance to the coverage. That the FBI was investigating Hatfill was fact, but the coverage resulted in a number of distortions. I would like not have reported on Hatfill's name until it was officially confirmed by the...

This would deal with two of the main issues in this case -- that only Hatfill was named and that the tip came from a source whose motivations are unknown. The coverage in my paper would be guided more by official announcements from the investigators rather than anonymous postings on the Internet or the shoddy work of other media outlets.
The Hatfill story was newsworthy, so the story would need to be run. In doing so, however, the editor must resist the temptation to follow the sensationalistic path of the other media outlets. Only verified facts should be presented, and the primary source of details on the investigation should have been the FBI. If details were scarce, then that scarcity is what would be reported, rather than conjecture or unverified information. Balancing facts would need to be implemented, including the fact that Hatfill was just one of many scientists to be investigated and that he was part of a very long list of persons of interest, rather than a primary person of interest. In doing this, I would as editor be able to provide coverage while staying within the bounds of the code of ethics.

Works Cited:

Code of Ethics. (1996) Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved September 29, 2009 from http://www.spj.org/pdf/ethicscode.pdf

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited:

Code of Ethics. (1996) Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved September 29, 2009 from http://www.spj.org/pdf/ethicscode.pdf
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Ethical Communication
Words: 2175 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Ethical Communication The Definition of Ethics In practically all areas of society ethical subjects are rapidly increasing. Professionals in the health field struggle with ethical questions in relation to abortion, transplants, birth control, informed consent, life-support systems, malpractice suits, patient privacy, human genetics, and high costs of insurance, as well as care on the whole. Ethical matters in relation to nuclear power accidents, oil spills, disposal of industrial waste, defense weaponry, lead

Ethical Dilemma Involves a Major
Words: 1358 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

This is also a reason why it is absolutely necessary to pursue all avenues of information in order to be as accurate as possible in reporting. I do believe that the actions described above are within the ethical framework of media reporting. The newspaper's first obligation is to its readership and to society at large. If the motor company has nothing to hide in terms of its actions, it should

Professional Ethics Issue: The Case Where the
Words: 2140 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Professional Ethics Issue: The case where the professional ethics issue arises is a situation in which the commended obligation for journalists to safeguard the confidentiality of their sources conflict with their supposed duty to help legal authorities in the quest for justice. As a notable case, Time's Matthew Cooper and New York Times' Judith Miller are facing an ethical dilemma with two major options. First, these journalists are faced with the

Ethical or Unethical Ground Rules Manifested in
Words: 821 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

ethical or unethical ground rules manifested in the situation (ethical theory that is broken) as well as which ethics theories should be applied to remedy the situation. The Murdoch incident involved various leading British newspapers, specifically the 'News of the World' but also other tabloids all published by News International, all of which were a subsidiary of News corporation .The owner of News corporation was Rupert Murdoch hence the alias

Ethics of Publishing Disturbing Photographs
Words: 1532 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Furthermore, the date of the photograph is illustrative: the city had been submerged for days, and federal disaster relief in the form of food and other types of assistance had not yet arrived. The food would have spoiled had it not been consumed, given that the electricity of the city was not functioning. Just like a print journalist, a photographer has the responsibility to consider the larger social history of

Ethics Within the Field of
Words: 887 Length: 3 Document Type: Thesis

That ethics has become so controversial reflects the individual nature of ethics. Each individual choice is imbued with certain ethical assumptions, but those assumptions will vary from person to person. Only when those assumptions are shared by a large enough segment of society do they become norms. For the individual, the choice often becomes the decision between one's personal code of ethics and that of society as a whole. Even the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now