Ethics in Journalism

ETHICS IN JOURNALISM JOURNALISM 110B SPRING 2016

Instructor: Eileen McNamara Time: Tuesday and Friday 12:30 p.m.-1:50 p.m. Place: 115 Brown Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday 8 a.m.-9:30 a.m. and by appointment Office: 321 Brown Telephone: 781-736-3049 (Office), 781-929-1934 (Cell) e-mail: [email protected]

COURSE DESCRIPTION: In a media climate dominated by scandal is the phrase “journalistic ethics” an oxymoron? Who decides what is fair or what is true? How are standards enforced in a profession that is constitutionally protected from regulation? We will consider how guides to ethical decision-making, from Aristotle to Sissela Bok, can help shape journalism’s efforts at self-policing in the digital age. The Society of Professional Journalists identifies four broad ethical responsibilities that will guide our discussions: to seek truth and report it, to minimize harm, to act independently, to be accountable. Through case studies, we will examine the ethical challenges facing journalists, including lapses that have brought the profession into disrepute and corrective measures taken to restore trust. Our syllabus is not written in stone; cases that arise during the course of the semester will be incorporated into our studies. This underscores the necessity of students developing a daily news habit.

REQUIREMENTS: You are to read the assigned material prior to class in order to participate fully in discussions. You must read The New York Times daily and its Public Editor’s column whenever it appears. You will write three five-page, double-spaced essays on assigned books: The Journalist and the Murder by Janet Malcolm, Until Proven Innocent by Stuart Taylor and K.C. Johnson, Hard News by Seth Mnookin. Because we learn best when we learn from one another, please post drafts of your essays on our class website on the dates indicated to solicit feedback from you instructor and classmates. Reading and commenting on each other’s drafts will deepen your engagement with the texts and improve your final essay. In addition, you will read, analyze and comment on our Latte page to a weekly case study to be discussed in class every Friday. Your 300-word posts to Latte will be due no later than midnight Wednesday to give us time to read each other’s posts before we meet on Friday. Attendance is mandatory. Notify me by e-mail in advance if you are ill or have a valid reason for an absence. Participation, online and in class, is key to our time together and will be reflected in your grade. You must turn in a paper copy of each essay at the start of class on the date due. Pleas turn off all electronic devices – laptops and cell phones - before class. REQUIRED READING: Case Studies will be distributed in class. The Journalist and The Murderer, by Janet Malcolm Until Proven Innocent, by Stuart Taylor and K.C. Johnson Hard News, by Seth Mnookin

DUE DATES FOR ASSIGNMENTS: Response to case studies: posted on Latte by midnight on Wednesday each week. First Essay on The Journalist and The Murder: Friday, February 26 (draft 2/21) Second Essay on Until Proven Innocent: Tuesday, March 22 (draft 3/20) Third Essay on Hard News: Friday, April 21 (draft 4/17)

GRADING: Essays are to be well argued, with ample, thoughtful citation from the reading, and to be well written, with proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. If the mechanics of writing are a weak spot for you, please buy The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and consult it regularly. Points will be deducted for failure to proofread. - forewarned is forearmed. Each essay will count for 15% of your grade. You participation, online and in class, will count for 55%. That means: be prepared and fully engaged in discussions.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: You are expected to be honest in all your academic work. The University policy on academic honesty is section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Office of Campus Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the University.

ACCOMODATIONS: If you are a student who needs academic accommodations because of a documented disability, please contact me and present your letter of accommodation as soon as possible. If you have questions about documenting a disability or requesting academic accommodations, you should contact Beth Rodgers-Kay in Academic Services (x6-3470 or [email protected].) Letters of accommodation should be presented at the start of the semester to ensure provision of accommodations. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.

REQUIRED READING: Case Studies will be distributed in class. The Journalist and The Murderer, by Janet Malcolm Until Proven Innocent, by Stuart Taylor and K.C. Johnson Hard News, by Seth Mnookin SCHEDULE OF CLASSES January 15: Introduction Why are journalists held in such low regard? Is there a common set of assumptions about what constitutes ethical practice in journalism? Is every opinion equally valid? If we cannot all agree on a course of action, does that mean there is no “right answer?” Reading: The SPJ Code of Ethics; The Principles of Journalism

January 19-22: Accuracy On every pillar in the newsroom of The Boston Globe hung a sign that read: “Accuracy is the cornerstone of our business.” How do journalists seek the truth? Is there such a thing? Reading: Columbia Case Study: Truthiness - This American Life and The Monologist

January 26: Sources January 29: No Class (I will be in Washington, D.C.) The source-reporter bond is a symbiotic one, each side needing something from the other. What are the ethical pitfalls in that relationship? Has social media changed the rules? Reading: Columbia Case Study: The Facebook Conundrum, The New Haven Independent and the Annie Lee murder

February 2-5: Deception Is it ever OK to break the law in pursuit of a story? To misrepresent yourself to get information? To lie? What about in service of a “greater good?” Reading: Case Study: ABC and Food Lion

February 9-12: Conflicts of Interest Journalists are people, too, with sometimes divided loyalties. Should art critics be barred from buying art they review? From contribute to a political campaign? Should newspaper owners serve on corporate/non-profit boards? Should Disney own ABC News? Reading: Columbia Case Study: The New York Times and the Bias Question

February 16-19: Winter Break

February 23-26: Privacy, Public Officials What happens when the public’s right to know conflicts with an individual’s right to privacy? The journalistic rules – and the law – depend on whether that person is a public figure or a private citizen. Reading: Columbia Case Study: News or Rumor, Politico and the Edwards Affair First Essay due Friday, February 26 (file draft to website by Sunday, 2/21)

March 1-4: Privacy, Private Citizens Reading: Columbia Case Study: Public Death, Private Life

March 8-11: Fair Trial/Free Press How do journalists balance the public’s right to know with a defendant’s right to a fair trial. What happens when the First Amendment conflicts with the Sixth? Reading: Case Study: Richard Jewell. March 15-18: Politics and Fairness Donald Trump is not the first candidate to complain that the media is biased. How should reporters cover candidates who misstate facts or pander to public fears? Reading: Case Study: David Duke; What Donald Trump owes to George Wallace, on Latte

March 22: TBD Second Essay, on Until Proven Innocent, due Tuesday, March 22 (file draft to website by Sunday, 3/20.)

March 29-April 1: National Security What are the limits to the media’s watchdog role toward the government? Should a claim of “national security” stop the press from publishing? Reading: Columbia Case Study: The Washington Post, Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency

April 5-8: Plagiarism and Fabulism (a.k.a stealing and making it up) How do we explain the rash of plagiarism and fabulism charges against journalists? Are these lapses individual? Institutional? Both? What is being done about it? Reading: Case Study: Jack Kelley

April 12-15: Photojournalism Is it ever OK to stage or alter a photograph? To run photographs that the government has asked not be published? That might offend the reader? We consider photography in the age of the digital camera, Photoshop and national insecurity. Reading: Columbia Case Study: Worth a Thousand Words

April 19-21 (Brandeis Thursday): Cultural Sensitivity The First Amendment gives journalists the right to publish. But are there times when they should not publish, out of cultural sensitivity, i.e. fear of giving offense? Reading: Columbia Case Study: Caricatured Third essay, on Hard News, due Thursday, April 21 (file draft to website by Sunday 4/17)