DOCSLIB.ORG

Ethical Principles for a Sensitive Society

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ethical Principles for a Sensitive Society Rowan University Rowan Digital Works Theses and Dissertations 6-30-2005 Ethical principles for a sensitive society Catherine M. Toscano Rowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd Part of the Public Relations and Advertising Commons Recommended Citation Toscano, Catherine M., "Ethical principles for a sensitive society" (2005). Theses and Dissertations. 1087. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1087 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Rowan Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Rowan Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR A SENSITIVE SOCIETY Catherine M. Toscano A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Public Relations Degree of The Graduate School at Rowan University June 30, 2005 Approved by Professor Date Approved _ _ ABSTRACT Catherine Toscano ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR A SENSITIVE SOCIETY 2004/05 Dr. Donald Bagin Master of Arts in Public Relations The purposes of this study were (a) to discover ethical dilemmas faced in the media and how they affect society; and (b) to determine what new ethical principles need to be established for media to gain back trust from today's society. The author found that lower news reporting standards such as fabrication of information and sources, using false documents and failure to check facts caused members of society to become sensitive and question the integrity of news stations and reporters as well as the validity of news being reported. Because the press has lost the trust of the American people, they can attempt to gain it back in one way-establish new ethical principles fit for a sensitive society. Six- question e-mail surveys were sent to ten media experts to determine ethical principles media should follow when reporting news. Media experts included those in the fields of print, radio, television as well as ethics professors. Survey results found that 40 percent of respondents feel that media ethics are deteriorating, 40 percent feel media ethics are not deteriorating, and 20 percent are unsure if media ethics are deteriorating. The top three principles were: Tell the truth, provide accurate reporting in news stories, and mitigate harm as much as possible. MINI-ABSTRACT Catherine Toscano ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR A SENSITIVE SOCIETY 2004/05 Dr. Donald Bagin Master of Arts in Public Relations The purposes of this study were (a) to discover ethical dilemmas faced in the media and how they affect society; and (b) to determine what new ethical principles need to be established for media to gain back trust from today's society. Six-question e-mail surveys were sent to ten media experts to determine ethical principles media should follow when reporting news. Survey results found that 40 percent of respondents feel that media ethics are deteriorating, 40 percent feet media ethics are not deteriorating, and 20 percent are unsure if media ethics are deteriorating. The top three principles were: Tell the truth, provide accurate reporting in news stories, and mitigate harm as much as possible. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For my family, friends and the many inspirational professors I have come across at Rowan. Thank you for your patience, help and direction throughout this program. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I. Introduction ............................. .............................. .......................... 1 Background ................................................................. ....... 1 The Need for Determining New Ethical Principles............................. 2 The Purpose of this Study.............................................................. 2 T he Problem ......................................... ............ ...................... 3 Procedures...................................... ..... ........... ................ ...... 3 Limitations.............................................................................. 3 D efinitions .............................................................................. .. 4 II. Literature R eview .......................................... .......................... ..... ...... 5 III. Method of Research ........................... ..................................... .... 11 Phase I-E-mail Surveys................................................................. 11 Phase II-Selecting the Population to be Tested..................................... 11 Phase III-Conducting the Interviews.................................................. 12 Treating the Data Collected............................................................ 13 IV. Research Data ...................... ...... ......................... ................. ... 14 E-mail Survey for Media Professionals................................................ 14 Survey Responses....................................................................... 15 V . C onclusions .................. ............. .. .. ............. ..... ... ....................... 33 Q uestion 1 .................................................. .................... ......... 33 Question 2 ............................................................................ .. 34 Question 3 ................................................ ............... .................. 3 Q uestion 4 ............................................................................... 36 Question 5 .................................................. ................................... 37 Question 6........................................................ ....................... 38 Suggestions for Further Study.......................................................... 39 R eferences.............................................................. ......................... 4 1 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHS Graph I. ..................... .................................. 33 Question 1-Graph I................................................................. ... 33 II. ................ ...................................... ............................... ........ 34 Question 2-Graph II ..................................................................... 34 III. .................................. .................... ... .......................... ..... 35 Question 3-Graph III................................................................... 35 IV . .................................. .................... .... ............................. 36 Question 4-Graph IV.....................................................................36 V . ...................................................... .................. ............................ 3 7 Question 5-Graph V ....................................................................... 37 V I. .................................................................................................. ..37 Question 5-Graph VI..................................................................... 37 V II ................................ ......................... .................................... ..... 38 Question 6-Graph VII.....................................................................38 CHAPTER I Background According to a September 2004 Gallup poll, very few Americans still rely on the top names in news. The poll showed that only 44 percent of Americans trust the press to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. Thirty-six percent of those 44 only "fairly trust" the press.1 With networks in competition for the highest ratings, newspapers rivaling for the most readers and reporters contending to cover the top story, ethical principles in the media continue to deteriorate and as a result society has become sensitive, meaning unsure if they can truly trust the mass media. Former CBS newscaster Bernard Goldberg wrote in a Wall Street Journalop-ed piece," There are lots of reasons fewer people are watching network news, and one of them, I'm more convinced than ever, is that our viewers simply don't trust us. And for good reason."2 For an insider to blow the whistle on unethical practices in the news media and admit his own untrustworthiness leaves no question as to why society has become SStunner: Americans don't trust press. (2004, September 24). Media Life Magazine. Retrieved October 2, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/sep04/Sept20/5_fri/news friday.html 2 Goldberg, B. (2001) Bias. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing. sensitive. People are susceptible to the news they hear they should not have to question the integrity of the media reporting the news. The Need for Determining New Ethical Principles People watch, read or listen to the news to gain insight on current events and most of all, learn the truth. According to the Society of Professional Journalists, "Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other." 3 Media should avoid inadvertent error and never deliberately distort information. CNN and Time Magazine lost credibility when they released false allegations that the U.S. Military used lethal chemical agents to kill American defectors during the Vietnam War. Ethical principles of the New York Times were called to question when top reporter Jayson Blair fabricated information for his stories. And most recently, CBS News went under fire when long-time anchor Dan Rather lost his credibility by releasing forged documents accusing President Bush of receiving preferential treatment during his military service. Because of the blatant
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gray Lady Down:Encounter TEXT-Excerpt: CHAP 3
    Gray Lady Down What the Decline and Fall of the New York Times Means for America WILLIAM MCGOWAN Chapter Three: Bullets over Arthur Jr. Abe Rosenthal’s funeral in 2006 became an occasion for nostalgia over the death of the Times’ golden days, a recessional for the paper’s transition from the voice of America to an increasingly self-righteous, and politically correct, left-liberal publication. It also became a moment for pause when the effects of young Arthur’s fifteen-year reign could be evaluated. It was not a pretty picture. In a relatively few years, a paper that had been known as the gold standard of American journalism had been tarnished by a string of embarrassing incidents, casting it in the harshest of spotlights, putting its credibility and even its patriotism on the line. Its newsroom had been accused of hypocrisy, corruption, ineptitude, ethical misconduct, fraud, plagiarism, credulousness and, most seriously, ideological bias. The business side was equally under siege, and its board—stacked with Sulzbergers—had presided over a plummeting of stock value to half what it had been in 2002, with advertising revenues in free fall. This steady parade of embarrassing lowlights, where the Times had become the focus of the news instead of merely the bearer of it, had revealed cracks in its foundations and made it a target for public anger and derision—as well as a possible candidate for a corporate takeover. Every time one of these incidents occurred, the Times and its partisan defenders—led by Arthur Jr. himself—had tried to depict it as an isolated case, refusing to acknowledge any pattern.
    [Show full text]
  • Crime, Class, and Labour in David Simon's Baltimore
    "From here to the rest of the world": Crime, class, and labour in David Simon's Baltimore. Sheamus Sweeney B.A. (Hons), M.A. (Hons) This thesis is submitted to Dublin City University for the award of Ph.D in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. August 2013 School of Communications Supervisors: Prof. Helena Sheehan and Dr. Pat Brereton I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of Ph.D is entirely my own work, and that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge breach any law of copyright, and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. Signed: ___________________________________ (Candidate) ID No.: _55139426____ Date: _______________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Literature review and methodology 17 Chapter One: Stand around and watch: David Simon and the 42 "cop shop" narrative. Chapter Two: "Let the roughness show": From death on the 64 streets to a half-life on screen. Chapter Three: "Don't give the viewer the satisfaction": 86 Investigating the social order in Homicide. Chapter Four: Wasteland of the free: Images of labour in the 122 alternative economy. Chapter Five: The Wire: Introducing the other America. 157 Chapter Six: Baltimore Utopia? The limits of reform in the 186 war on labour and the war on drugs. Chapter Seven: There is no alternative: Unencumbered capitalism 216 and the war on drugs.
    [Show full text]
  • PROBLEMS & ETHICS in JOURNALISM: JOU4700*05A5 Mondays: 3 – 6 P.M. Fall 2013
    1 PROBLEMS & ETHICS IN JOURNALISM: JOU4700*05A5 Mondays: 3 – 6 p.m. Fall 2013: August 26 to Dec. 9, 2013 Turlington 2318 Professor: Daniel Axelrod Office Hours: By appointment Office: Weimer 2040 Cell: 978-855-8935. If your matter is time sensitive, feel free to call (but please don’t text me). Email: [email protected] SYLLABUS DISCLAIMER Sometimes, teachers say things that contradict the syllabus. To avoid confusion and ensure a clear, fair class, this syllabus is our ultimate authority. Simply put, if the syllabus contradicts something that I say in class, the syllabus wins unless I expressly and specifically state that I am intentionally revising it. In such cases, I will provide prompt, clear, and ample notification. COURSE OVERVIEW This “Problems and Ethics in Journalism” class is broken into three parts. First, this course covers the underlying principles of how to be an ethical journalist and the history behind them; then it discusses media literacy (how to recognize the strengths, weaknesses and biases in news coverage); and — with a particular focus on the business of journalism — the class concludes by explaining the challenges media outlets and journalists face when it comes to producing high- quality news in an ethical manner (E.g. the influence of advertisers, corporate owners, public relations specialists, and governments). 1. First, we outline the basics of journalism ethics to ensure you have a solid foundation. 2. Next, we cover “media literacy.” That means we’re going to make sure that you become an educated news consumer. After this unit, you’ll be able to look a news story (regardless of the platform on which appears) and rip it apart.
    [Show full text]
  • Suing Jayson Blair and the New York Times for Fraud and Negligence
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Fordham University School of Law Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal Volume 14 Volume XIV Number 1 Volume XIV Book 1 Article 1 2003 Journalistic Malpractice: Suing Jayson Blair and the New York Times for Fraud and Negligence Clay Calvert Pennsylvania State University Robert D. Richards Pennsylvania State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/iplj Part of the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, and the Intellectual Property Law Commons Recommended Citation Clay Calvert and Robert D. Richards, Journalistic Malpractice: Suing Jayson Blair and the New York Times for Fraud and Negligence, 14 Fordham Intell. Prop. Media & Ent. L.J. 1 (2003). Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/iplj/vol14/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by FLASH: The Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship and History. It has been accepted for inclusion in Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal by an authorized editor of FLASH: The Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship and History. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CALVERT FORMAT 12/9/2003 1:56 PM ARTICLES Journalistic Malpractice: Suing Jayson Blair and the New York Times for Fraud and Negligence Clay Calvert* & Robert D. Richards† INTRODUCTION The New York Times, the old “Gray Lady”1 of the newspaper business, has long been the star for which aspiring journalists reach—the storied pinnacle of the news industry.2 In June 2003, much of that star’s glimmer and glamour vanished when executive editor Howell Raines and managing editor Gerald Boyd resigned their posts amid a much-publicized scandal that not only rocked journalistic circles but also left the newspaper’s readers wondering just how severely they had been duped.3 The scandal focused on a * Associate Professor of Communications & Law and Co-Director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment at the Pennsylvania State University.
    [Show full text]
  • First Person Jayson Blair
    FIRST PERSON JAYSON BLAIR ayson Blair’s name became synony- mous with scandal and disgrace, Making a turnaround following his highly publicized self- destruction at The New York Times in By Jayson Blair diers, the Washington, DC–area snipers, 2003 for rampant plagiarism and fabri- and other high-profile stories of 2002 and cation of news stories. The scandal rocked t’s not front page news when most 2003 a “low point in the 152-year history” the venerable newspaper and led to the res- people tell a lie. When I repeatedly of the newspaper. The paper also report- ignation of its two top editors in June 2003. did so, it was, and it was the reason for ed on errors and fabrications in my sto- my downfall. ries going back to 2000. After a couple of years of tremendous On Sunday, May 11, 2003, The New upheaval that included diagnoses of bipolar As a team of Times reporters and York Times ran a 7,000-word above-the- disorder and the penning of a rapid response researchers dug into my background fold, front page story (accompanied by a pulling together the loose threads for book, Burning Down My Master’s House: My 6,400-word litany of corrections) that that Sunday newspaper article, I was sit- Life at The New York Times, Blair’s life is summed up many months of lies, decep- ting in Silver Hill Hospital in New beginning to turn around. tion, and a double life I had been living as Canaan, Connecticut, following a suicide Now 29, Blair is working part time as a a reporter for the newspaper.
    [Show full text]
  • Combating Plagiarism
    Anniversary80 1923-2003th T H E CQ ResearcherPUBLISHED BY CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY INC. WINNER: SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE N AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD Combating Plagiarism Is the Internet causing more students to copy? orty-eight University of Virginia students quit or were expelled recently for plagiarism. New York Times reporter Jayson Blair plagiarized or fabri- cated parts of more than three-dozen articles. FBest-selling historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Stephen Ambrose were accused of stealing from other writers. Jour- nalists and educators alike call plagiarism a growing problem, and many say the Internet is partly to blame. Studies show I 90 percent of college students know plagiarism is wrong, N THIS ISSUE but educators say many do it anyway because they don’t S THE ISSUES ......................775 think they’ll get caught, or because in today’s ethical climate I BACKGROUND ..................782 they consider plagiarism trivial compared to well-publicized D CHRONOLOGY ..................783 E instances of political and corporate dishonesty. Other educa- CURRENT SITUATION ..........787 tors say many high-school students don’t understand — AT ISSUE ..........................789 or were never taught — about copyright regulations and OUTLOOK ........................790 how to properly cite sources. BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................793 THE NEXT STEP ................794 Sept. 19, 2003 • Volume 13, No. 32 • Pages 773-796 www.cqpress.com COMBATING PLAGIARISM T H CQE Researcher Sept. 19, 2003 THE ISSUES OUTLOOK Volume 13, No. 32 • Has the Internet in- Internet Blamed MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas J. Colin 775 creased the incidence of 790 Educators and journalists alike plagiarism among students? say the Internet fosters ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: Kathy Koch • Should teachers use pla- plagiarism.
    [Show full text]
  • Transparency and Trust in Journalism: an Examination of Values, Practices and Effects
    ABSTRACT Title of Document: TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST IN JOURNALISM: AN EXAMINATION OF VALUES, PRACTICES AND EFFECTS Michael Koliska, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Directed By: Professor Linda Steiner, Philip Merrill College of Journalism Journalism scholars and practitioners have repeatedly argued that transparency is crucial to generate trust in the news media, which, over the years, has faced continues decline in public trust. As news organizations have been encouraged to implement transparency in their daily work, transparency has increasingly gained the status of a professional norm in journalism. However, very little is actually known about how journalists think and apply transparency in their everyday practices or how news organizations in the United States implement transparency. Similarly, normative assumptions about the trust-generating effects of transparency have not been consistently shown to exist. This dissertation examined to what extent journalists at 12 national news outlets embraced transparency on a day-to-day basis and how these news organizations implement transparency online at the news item level. Moreover, this dissertation tested whether existing features of transparency (hyperlinks, editorial explanations, corrections, staff biographies etc.) impact audiences’ trust perception of a news story. The results of the mixed method approach showed that transparency in journalism is far from being a professional norm, which guides journalists’ news production processes. An analysis of 27 in-depth interviews found that journalists rarely consider transparency in their work. Journalists agreed that the notion of transparency has value. They repeatedly suggested that the news outlets they work for utilize transparency as a promotional tool to engage audiences and to appear transparent, rather than significantly disclosing information about the inner workings of their news organization.
    [Show full text]
  • Jayson Blair, Judith Miller and the Ethical Culture at the New York Times
    1 All the ethics that’s fit: Jayson Blair, Judith Miller and the ethical culture at The New York Times A thesis presented by James A Chiavelli II To The School of Journalism In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the field of Journalism Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts December 2009 2 All the ethics that’s fit: Jayson Blair, Judith Miller and the ethical culture at The New York Times by James A Chiavelli II Abstract of Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Journalism Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Northeastern University December 2009 3 ABSTRACT Ethics codes promulgated by media companies and organizations in the United States have shifted emphasis. From the early ideals about the public’s right to know, the pursuit of truth, and protection of subjects’ privacy, they have increasingly focused, explicitly or not, on the protection and promotion of companies’ (and in some cases, union workers’) economic interests. Looking at the Code of Conduct of The New York Times, specifically, through the prism of the missteps of reporters Jayson Blair and Judith Miller, I conclude the Times’ primary consideration has been its own interest and not ideals such as ethics or truth. Finally, I examine some suggestions for improving journalism ethics, at the Times and across journalism. 4 NOTE ON RESEARCH I took as my starting point for this thesis the paper “Conflicted Interests, Contested Terrain: Journalism ethics codes then and now,” by Lee Wilkins of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and Bonnie Brennen of the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University; professor Wilkins was kind enough to provide me a pre-publication copy in 2004, when I wrote an earlier version of what is presented here as Chapter 1.
    [Show full text]
  • TELL ME a STORY: HOW NARRATIVES SHAPE REPORTERS' ETHICS by Mary Hill a Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the University
    TELL ME A STORY: HOW NARRATIVES SHAPE REPORTERS’ ETHICS by Mary Hill A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Chapel Hill 2005 Approved by Advisor: Dr. Donald Shaw Reader: Dr. Steve May Reader: Dr. Deb Aikat Reader: Dr. Anne Johnston Reader: Prof. Chuck Stone ©2005 Mary Hill ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT MARY ELLEN HILL: “Tell Me A Story: How Narrati ves Shape Reporters’ Ethics (Under the direction of Dr. Donald Shaw) This study examines how reporters use workplace or newsroom narratives as guides for correct action in making ethical decisions. This analysis , based on in -depth interviews , employs the theory of narrative inquiry from the field of communication. The study shows that these narratives can lead to discussions on broader ethical matters. The journalists in this analysis consider narratives as part of their guidance system in their ethical decision-making. This dissertation looks at the decision- making process of a dozen reporte rs at weekly and major-market daily newspapers in the United States. These experienced journalists were interviewed in -de pth. They were from the states of Arizona, California, Maryland, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan , and Iowa. This study suggests that ethics codes or other forms of guidance are not as influential as the “cautionary tales” or newsroom narratives. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A doctoral dissertation is just a part of an individual’s quest for a life -time of learning.
    [Show full text]
  • Hollywood and Journalistic Truthtelling Matthew .C Ehrlich
    Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy Volume 19 Article 9 Issue 2 Symposium on Media Ethics February 2014 Hollywood and Journalistic Truthtelling Matthew .C Ehrlich Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjlepp Recommended Citation Matthew C. Ehrlich, Hollywood and Journalistic Truthtelling, 19 Notre Dame J.L. Ethics & Pub. Pol'y 519 (2005). Available at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjlepp/vol19/iss2/9 This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy at NDLScholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy by an authorized administrator of NDLScholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HOLLYWOOD AND JOURNALISTIC TRUTHTELLING MATTHEW C. EHRLICH* Movies are useful tools for thinking about professional behavior and ethics. For example, films about lawyers can "raise questions about the proper and possible role of law in society"1 while reflecting "powerful myths that influence our reactions to issues we meet in real life, including legal issues."2 The same applies to journalism. Media ethics professor Lee Wilkins notes that 'journalists are often called upon to make decisions based on a morally mature interpretation of principles rather than any specific code of conduct," and she says film gives dramatic life to struggles over those principles.' This article will look at what has been called the paramount principle of journalism-truthtelling-as it is depicted in a movie about a notorious real-life case of journalistic deception. Shattered Glass4 is the story of Stephen Glass, who in 1998 was fired for fabricating more than two dozen stories for the New Republic magazine.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded It There
    NIEMAN REPORTS THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VOL.57 NO.3 FALL 2003 Five Dollars Journalism and Black America: Then and Now Journalist’s Trade: Weblogs and Journalism Editorial Disasters: Newsrooms and Normal Accident Theory “… to promote and elevate the standards of journalism” —Agnes Wahl Nieman, the benefactor of the Nieman Foundation. Vol. 57 No. 3 NIEMAN REPORTS Fall 2003 THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY Publisher Bob Giles Editor Melissa Ludtke Assistant Editor Lois Fiore Editorial Assistant Elizabeth Son Design Editor Deborah Smiley Nieman Reports (USPS #430-650) is published Editorial in March, June, September and December Telephone: 617-496-6308 by the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, E-Mail Address: One Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2098. [email protected] Subscriptions/Business Internet Address: Telephone: 617-496-2968 www.nieman.harvard.edu E-Mail Address: [email protected] Copyright 2003 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Subscription $20 a year, $35 for two years; add $10 per year for foreign airmail. Single copies $5. Second-class postage paid at Boston, Back copies are available from the Nieman office. Massachusetts and additional entries. Please address all subscription correspondence to POSTMASTER: One Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2098 Send address changes to and change of address information to Nieman Reports, P.O. Box 4951, Manchester, NH 03108. P.O. Box 4951, ISSN Number 0028-9817 Manchester, NH 03108. Vol. 57 No. 3 NIEMAN REPORTS Fall 2003 THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY 4 Journalism and Black America: Then and Now 6Reporting on the Civil Rights Movement BY JACK NELSON 8Documenting the Orangeburg Massacre BY JACK BASS 11 The Work and Struggles of Black Reporters BY DORI J.
    [Show full text]
  • Virtue Ethics for a Perfidious Media Marianne M
    Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy Volume 19 Article 15 Issue 2 Symposium on Media Ethics February 2014 Where Are Our Minds and What Are We Thinking - Virtue Ethics for a Perfidious Media Marianne M. Jennings Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjlepp Recommended Citation Marianne M. Jennings, Where Are Our Minds and What Are We Thinking - Virtue Ethics for a Perfidious Media, 19 Notre Dame J.L. Ethics & Pub. Pol'y 637 (2005). Available at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjlepp/vol19/iss2/15 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy at NDLScholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy by an authorized administrator of NDLScholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHERE ARE OUR MINDS AND WHAT ARE WE THINKING? VIRTUE ETHICS FOR A "PERFIDIOUS" MEDIA1 MARIANNE M. JENNINGS* "This story is true. The questions we raised about then-Lieutenant Bush's National Guard service are serious and legitimate." -Dan Rather, CBS News and 60 Minutes anchor after being told that the 1973 memo by Colonel Jerry Killian was forged2 "Memos on Bush Are Fake But Accurate" -New York Times headline on Rather story' 'Iregret the mistake I made during the course of this investigation, which was not conducted in good faith." -Jack Kelley, Former USA Today reporter in his resignation letter following revelations of falsehoods in his stories for which he could not produce sources "If they're all so brilliant and I'm such an affirmative-action hire, how come they didn't catch me?" -Jayson Blair, Former New York Times reporter reflecting on his resignation follow- ing revelations regarding his falsifying and plagiarizing stories4 * Professor of Legal and Ethical Studies, W.P.
    [Show full text]