The Importance of
ETHICS
in
SCHOLASTIC JOURNALISM
Maggie Cogar
Kent State University
“Ethics requires that
intelligence fuse with intuition,
that the process be internalized,
and that decisions be made
quickly and naturally."
- Rushworth Kidder
Why is it important to teach ethics
to high school journalism students?
Teaching journalism is to teach more than a subject. It is to teach a
craft, a profession – a responsibility. If high school students want to publish
content as if they are professionals, they must first realize that power and
responsibility. That’s where teaching ethics comes in.
“Thinking about ethics is to think about what
journalism is and what journalists do.”
– Karen Sanders
“All we have to lose is our
credibility.”
– H.L. Hall
A 2006 Gallup Poll on Honesty & Ethics revealed that journalists
were ranked 13th out of 23 professions as 26% of respondents said
journalists had high or very high ethical standards…Overall,
journalists were listed above state governors, business executives,
and lawyers, but below chiropractors, bankers, and psychiatrists.
•
•
A 1996 Harris Poll on revealed that 75% of American adults said
journalism is politically biased, and only 33% said news media
dealt fairly with all sides.
Are these results disturbing?
For a profession in which prides itself on
truth and accuracy – for a profession in
which, in this new age of media, relies on
their audience to believe in their truth and
accuracy to survive. The lack of sound
ethical decisions equals the lack of
credibility in the eyes of the public.
And it all starts with student journalists…
Ethical decision making skills can be taught, can be practiced, and indeed they SHOULD be
taught to and practiced by journalism students. There are many ways to do this at the
scholastic level, but always keep in mind teaching ethics is a process.
3 Keys to Teaching Journalism Ethics:
#1 - Questioning
#2 - Discussion
#3 - Reflection
Students must question
their actions, their
motives, and the expected
outcome.
Students must discuss with
others, challenge their views
and beliefs and come to an
editorial decision.
Students must be given
time to reflect and process
their personal beliefs and
viewpoints.
10 Questions to Ask Before Publishing*
• What do I know? What do I need to know?
• What is my journalistic purpose?
• What are my ethical concerns?
• What organizational policies and professional
guidelines should I consider?
*Questions created by ASNE’s Ethics Committee
10 Questions, Continued…
• How can I include other people, with different
perspectives and diverse ideas, in the decisionmaking process?
• What are the stakeholders – those affected by
my decision? What are their motivations? Which
are legitimate?
• What if the roles were reversed? How would I
feel if I were in the shoes of one of the
stakeholders?
10 Questions, Continued…
• What are the possible consequences of my
actions? Short term? Long term?
• What are my alternatives to maximize my truthtelling responsibility and minimize harm?
• Can I clearly and fully justify my thinking and
my decision? To my colleagues? To the
stakeholders? To the public?