A Hard Code

Moral codes are controversial, diverse, and defining. Everyone lives with a standard measure of ethics that tells them right from wrong. In the stories “R.M.S. Titanic”, “Into Thin Air”, “The Dark Side of Everest”, and “Explorers Say There’s Still a lot to Look For”, one or more characters are faced with one decision; save another man and risk their life, or stay safe and leave the others.

Nowadays journalists have the responsibility to report facts as accurately, objectively, and disinterestedly as is humanly possible. ‘’The, honest, self-disciplined, well-trained reporter seeks to be a propagandist for nothing but the truth’’ (Casey, 1944b).

In today’s day and age, mass media has completely changed the way in which we consume news. The truthfulness of the millions of blogs and web pages makes it hard to trust what is true and what is not. Newspapers are often an overlooked form of news, which is surprising considering that it is a accurate, curated source of media. What sets newspapers apart from all the countless blogs and web pages is the set of ethics that the reporters and editors are required to follow. In State of Play Cal McCaffrey, a reporter for the Washington Globe, did not act in accordance to the code of ethics. McCaffrey knowingly broke the law whilst trespassing, clearly knew McCaffrey had a conflict of interest, and unethically recorded someone while falsely promising anonymity.

Objectivity is an important factor in the world of journalism. Some journalist falls short of objectivity while others seem may seem to contain too much of it, abandoning the artistry of persuasion. Today we live in a world where our own president claims the mainstream news outlets publish "fake news. " It leaves us to wonder whether some factors affect the journalists' reporting. Whether this is ethically correct is also something to ask ourselves.

These issues are primarily focused on the ethics of said journalist and whether or not they are being ethical. Howard A. Myrick a

With more and more wealthy Australians bringing journalists and publishers to court to demand the revelation of sources shield laws are becoming increasingly important. Shield laws can be defined as an array of laws that offer protection to journalists or other communicators who otherwise face a disobedient contempt charge for refusing to reveal a confidential source. In particular, with the introduction of shield laws in Western Australia journalists’ professional ethics have taken priority over the demands of the law. Although these shield laws provide some protection for journalists and their informants in WA there are still some weaknesses in terms of how these laws are interpreted in court. Furthermore, shield laws are significant in maintaining

In journalism, an ethical dilemma is a complex issue or situation that often involves an emotional and psychological conflict between moral obligations and duties, in which to obey one would transgress the other. Within the media there are many stories that can be deemed an ethical dilemma; some more so than others. One of the most recent and prominent ethical dilemmas was the worldwide coverage surrounding the shooting of two American WBDJ journalists, Alison Parker and Adam Ward. Despite the fact that the shooter filmed the ordeal clearly showing the two slain journalists being shot, news outlets had picked it up and ran with the story, which ultimately went viral in minutes. This essay will analyse and thoroughly examine the reporting

The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics strives to secure the “free exchange of information”. It must be fair, accurate and thorough and also states that integrity is a key factor in being an ethical journalist. The Society asserts four main principles as the foundations to all ethical journalism and promotes their use in practice by all people in all media. The first code is to “Seek Truth and Report It.” It states that all ethical

On April 5th, 2018, a group of Palestinian protesters marched their way to the Gaza-Israel border, before being interrupted by a sudden eruption of gunfire and smoke. The Israeli army opened fire on thousands of civilians, killing 18 and wounding many others. Israeli troops fight and kill the inhabitants of their neighboring territory, those who are innocent civilians of their own country (Jones). Tragedies like this happen nearly every month, in dozens of regions across the globe. Armed forces brought upon residents in an effort to eradicate, disguised as control. Ranging from police brutality to ethnic cleansings and cultural genocide, the use of military force is severely abused, and results in devastation around the world. Therefore, the

While I agree that confrontation is essential in a movement, I do not agree with their theory on the “rite of the kill.” Scott and Smith explain that “the enemy is obvious, and it is he who has set the scene upon which the actors must play out the roles determined by the cleavage of exploitation” (Morris 28). In this action, the enemy was not as obvious. Since the conflict portrays two sides in the media: the pro-Israelis and the pro-Palestinians, bystanders would interpret us (pro-Palestinians) opposing the pro-Israelis. By saying “Shame on Israel!”

I think that reporters should just observe news events as they happen, and they should interfere in any way. Reporters should be able to interfere because they have a right called "Freedom of Speech". If someone was talking about them in a good or bad way, I think that person has the right to interfere. If it was a life or death situation, they should definitely interfere. Journalists, along with everyone else, have the right to know what is going on in this world. If reporters did not interfere at all, they might regret that moment for the rest of their lives. If journalists have a say in something, they should be able to say what they want to say. If reporters disagree on something, they have the right to speak about that specific thing.

In the Journalists’ Code of Ethics is implemented to the media to keep the reporting of all journalists fair and non-judgemental. The professional standards

Sit tight for the journey ahead as I explain to you, on my coffee-induced, sleep-deprived binge-writing, the ethics of source anonymity in journalism—for the purpose of this paper, I will be writing about Canada specifically. More specifically, I will touch upon the following: What is the reliability of the source? Why would a source have to be kept anonymous? To what extent does a journalist keep a source confidential? Firstly, I will go on to briefly describe the Canadian Act that protects whistle-blowers (the term used to describe someone who brings an issue to light, almost always in their organization) and the shield law. Next, I will be discussing the ethics in keeping a source anonymous from the utilitarian point of view, as well as

The duty of journalists is to tell the truth. Journalism means you go back to the actual facts, you look at the documents, you discover what the record is, and you report it that way. — Chomsky 2008

The film Shattered Glass presents the ethical issues of fabrication and the deception of the writer, Stephen Glass, to his editor and co-workers. He deliberately sensationalized his stories in order to gain his reader’s attention. His facts were partially, if not completely, inaccurate and he presented notes that he fabricated as facts for each of his pieces at the New Republic. Journalists in the media have a duty to the people to report the truth and follow an ethical code whenever reporting stories.