Journalism, ethics, plagiarism, fabrication

1. PERSPECTIVES ON
JOURNALISM ETHICS
JRNL 6202 SUMMER II 2015
• Instructor: Bill Mitchell
• 27 July 2015 | Northeastern Univ.

2. PERSPECTIVES ON
JOURNALISM ETHICS
JRNL 6202 SUMMER II 2015
• Instructor: Bill Mitchell
• Bmitch (at) gmail dot com
• 727-641-9407
• 27 July 2015 | Northeastern Univ.

3. WHAT WE’LL DO TONIGHT
• Correct that Error: Quick example from today’s Globe
• Oral Presentation by Emily on Hashtags
• Discussion of your ethics guidelines
• Discussion of your final paper
• Review of assigned readings
• Shattered Glass
• 10 minute break (at about 7:30 p.m.)
• Upcoming assignments, etc.

4. CLASS PARTICIPATION & ITS
RELEVANCE TO ETHICAL
DECISION-MAKING
• If you’re not inclined to speak up, consider doing so
• If you speak up a lot, consider encouraging others
• Do your best to stay on point
• Try to make your point briefly

5. CORRECT THAT ERROR

7. JUST AS IMPORTANT:
THE MARGIN OF ERROR

8. MY EMAIL TO THE REPORTER

9. THE REPORTER’S RESPONSE

10. THE CORRECTION:

11. EMILY ON
THE POWER OF HASHTAGS

12. REFINING YOUR
PERSONAL ETHICS GUIDELINES
• THE WHAT: What do you stand for as a journalist?
• MORE WHAT: What values/principles do you uphold?
• THE WHY: Why do you hold those values/principles?
• THE WHO: Whose theory(ies) underpin your ethics?
• THE HOW: How will you do that? (process you’ll follow)

13. A RESOURCE: PRINCIPLES
SUGGESTED BY ONLINE NEWS
ASSOCIATION FOR DIY ETHICS
• Tell the truth
• Don’t plagiarize
• Don’t take money
• Be responsible to the public
• Correct your errors

14. ONA: MAKE A BASIC CHOICE
• Are you an independent, impartial journalist?
• Or a journalist with a particular point of view?
• Decide and be transparent about your choice

15. AMONG ONA’S 40 QUESTIONS:
• Will you consider removing mistaken reports?
• Under what circumstances will you quote hate speech?
• What will guide editing of your photos?
• How will you approach coverage of suicides?
• How will you conduct yourself on social networks?

16. SNAPSHOT OF FINAL PAPER DUE
7 A.M. FRIDAY 31 JULY
• Describe a dimension of media ethics that needs work
• Describe the research you’ll do in support of your thesis
• Explain how this reform or rethinking fits with your personal
ethics guidelines
• See discussion of Final Paper in syllabus: bit.ly/SummerEthis
• This is an outline aimed at feedback, not the paper itself

17. REVIEW OF READINGS:
FORMS OF PLAGIARISM
• Appropriation plagiarism
• Research plagiarism
• Idea plagiarism
• Self plagiarism

18. DETECTION CHALLENGES WITH
PLAGIARISM & FABRICATION
• How detect plagiarism?
• How detect fabrication?

19. COMMON EXCUSES FOR
PLAGIARISM & FABRICATION
• So much pressure, plagiarism as the only way out
• No one will ever know
• Deceit in service of greater truth

20. LESSONS LEARNED
FROM CELEBRATED CASES
OF PLAGIARISM, FABRICATION
• Readers often reluctant to speak up
• Power of a big dog in the newsroom
• Editors (and other reporters) reluctant to go out on a
limb

21. NYT’S JAYSON BLAIR
ON THE NUTS & BOLTS OF
PLAGIARISM & FABRICATION

22. BLAIR GRILLED BY KATIE COURIC

23. THE REPORTER BLAIR STOLE
FROM: MACARENA HERNANDEZ

24. THE GUY IN CHARGE : PUBLISHER
ARTHUR SULZBERGER

25. WHAT FAKED JOURNALISM FEELS
LIKE FROM THE INSIDE

26. HOW TO GUARD AGAINST
WHAT GLASS DID?

27. Hanna Rosin tracks down Glass 16 years later:
http://bit.ly/RosinonGlass
HELLO, MY NAME IS STEPHEN
GLASS AND I’M SORRY

28. ASSIGNMENTS:
• For all assignments, see bit.ly/EthicsAssignments
• Reading: Chapters 11 & 18 in Foreman book
• By 7 a.m. Friday 31 July: Snapshot of your final paper
(final version due 7 a.m. Friday Aug. 21)
• By 7 a.m. Sunday 2 August: A post to your blog
• By 3 p.m. Monday 3 August: A comment about a
classmate’s post
• By 7 a.m. Friday 7 August: Final version of your
personal ethics guidelines

30. ETHICS CODES AS
DECISION-MAKING TOOLS
• An argument against ethics codes?
• An argument in favor?
• 4 Guiding Principles of Society of Professional Journalists?

31. DRILLING DOWN ON THE PRINCIPLES:
SEEK TRUTH & REPORT IT
• Confirming names, ages, dates, every line in story
• Can you spell your name for me, please?
• And what’s your date of birth?
• Develop your own accuracy-checker system!
• Presenting sources to your audience
• With names if possible
• With as much description as possible
• With background on their motives as relevant

32. DRILLING DOWN ON THE PRINCIPLES:
SEEK TRUTH & REPORT IT, CONT.
• Be clear with audience about what you’re providing them
• News?
• Analysis?
• Opinion?
• Maintaining the integrity of the marketing tools of news
• Headlines
• Teases
• Blurbs

35. TRENDS IN TRUTH-TELLING
• Greater documentation, making source documents available
• More challenges to anonymous sources

38. DRILLING DOWN ON THE PRINCIPLES:
MINIMIZE HARM
• Show compassion for stakeholders affected by news coverage
• Stakeholders in this story?

39. TRENDS IN MINIMIZING HARM
• The “foreverness” of digital content
• To what extent should we have the right to “forgetability?”

41. DRILLING DOWN ON THE PRINCIPLES:
ACT INDEPENDENTLY
• Independent from what?
• Apart from loyalty to audience, any other loyalties you want to
retain?

42. TRENDS IN ACTING INDEPENDENTLY
• More paragraphs beginning… “Full disclosure:
• More content provided by brands
• Relevance of independence in that context?

48. DRILLING DOWN ON THE PRINCIPLES:
BE ACCOUNTABLE
• Accountable about what?
• What should journalists NOT be accountable about?
• Advantages of making the case for each in personal guidelines
• Accountable to whom?

49. DRILLING DOWN ON THE PRINCIPLES:
BE ACCOUNTABLE

52. TRENDS IN ACCOUNTABILITY
• Anticipating audience questions, challenges, objections
• Incorporating audience contributions
• Recognizing corrections as ways of advancing the story

58. TEN MINUTE BREAK

59. THIS WEEK IN ETHICS

60. THIS WEEK IN ETHICS, CONT.

61. After watching and listening to Donald Trump
since he announced his candidacy for
president, we have decided we won't report on
Trump's campaign as part of The Huffington
Post's political coverage. Instead, we will
cover his campaign as part of our
Entertainment section. Our reason is simple:
Trump's campaign is a sideshow. We won't
take the bait. If you are interested in what The
Donald has to say, you'll find it next to our
stories on the Kardashians and The
Bachelorette.
THIS WEEK IN ETHICS, CONT.

62. THREE MAIN STEPS
TO A GOOD DECISION
• Collect the information
• Analyze the information
• Make a choice and defend it

63. THREE MAIN STEPS
TO A GOOD DECISION (IN DETAIL)
• Collect the information
• What do I Know? What do I need to know?
• What is my journalistic purpose?
• What are my ethical concerns?

64. THREE MAIN STEPS
TO A GOOD DECISION (IN DETAIL)
• Analyze the information
• What policies/rules should I consider?
• How can I include other people with different views?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What are possible consequences of my actions?
• What are at least 3 options in balancing truth-telling
and minimizing harm?

65. THREE MAIN STEPS
TO A GOOD DECISION (IN DETAIL)
• Make a choice and defend it
• The front-page test: How would this read as a story?
• The Mom test: What would she say about this?
• The jury test: Could you persuade 12 peers?

66. WORK A CASE
WITH FOREMAN’S 3 STEPS
• Teams of three
• Pick a case that’s tough, i.e. you’re not sure how you’d
decide… Possibilities:
• Reporting a Fact, Causing Harm (p. 98)
• A 4 year-old’s Visit to Death Row (p. 204)
• A believable hypothetical