Preamble to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics (Revised in 2014):

Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. Ethical journalism strives to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. An ethical journalist acts with integrity.

(SPJ is a U.S. journalism organization whose mission is to perpetuate a free press as a cornerstone of American democracy.)

 “Were it left to me to decide if we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I would not hesitate to prefer the latter.” – Thomas Jefferson – 1787 – Third U.S. President

 

Overview:

Press freedom is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. With that freedom, however, comes responsibility for journalists. The U.S. Constitution does not regulate the press, but free speech also is not absolute. U.S. journalism is a self-regulating entity that determines for itself the ethical bounds of journalistic practices and individual journalists seldom agree as to where the specific boundaries are in each ethical quandary.

 

This course will examine contemporary ethical issues in the press, including traditional formats such as print and broadcast, as well as newer forms such as blogging, social media and other Internet-based formats. It will also examine what defines a journalist as so many different types of people are now communicating to audiences in a manner once preserved only for those whose salaries were paid by a news agency. Many ethical controversies will arise from current events, so it is important to keep up with the news.

 

The course also will examine and evaluate how diverse communities, including ethnic, racial and cultural minorities and communities and countries around the globe, are covered and represented in mainstream and niche media reporting and whether personal biases influence coverage. Finally, we will look at historical excesses and failures of the press, and we’ll test the theory that today’s issues of journalistic ethics, although they often involve new methods of mass communication, are pretty much the same as those that have cropped up for centuries.

 

While many of the issues examined in this course have no absolute right or wrong answer, one goal of the course is to examine methods and processes by which journalists can assess their ethical behavior. Many journalists do not have an opportunity to deal with ethical issues except in the heat of a newsroom controversy or as the clock ticks toward a deadline. It is better to discuss ethical issues in advance, however, in a setting such as the classroom, and to have the tools available to make decisions in a dispassionate rather than an emotional manner.

 

Some course goals:

To evaluate press actions and understand why and how ethical decisions are made.

To gain the skills needed to make reasoned decisions on ethical issues.

To build persuasive written and oral arguments about ethical issues based on facts and examples, rather than emotions and unsupported opinions.

To build a foundation for ethical decision making that can be applied as a working journalist or in other media careers.

 

Course Work:

Readings, reflective writing assignments, blogging, class discussion and participation, persuasive writing and oral presentation.