Untitled Page

Journalism Ethics and Media Responsibility by Ruben Rabinsky, Ph.D. Background Journalism is a profession of both Science (with its concern for truth, accuracy, and objectivity) and History (with its concern for creating and disseminating records of events that have transpired). Every person has the potential of being influenced by the media and the profession of journalism on a daily basis. Journalism has great potential for both promoting the values and ideals of a Free Society[link to definition], as well as for undermining the foundations of a Free Society - depending on whether journalism is practiced with a variety of ethical ideals and principles, or not. By studying the ways in which Objectivity and Truth are of vital concern to Journalists (and news consumers - the general public), one realizes that it is possible to create either a truthful, objective account of present-day history (for the sake of our generation and future generations), or journalists may - deliberately or unintentionally - create a distorted, falsified account of our present-day events. Freedom of Expression: without this right, there cannot be 'genuine' or 'good' journalism; if reporters and editors are not free to describe the facts and the world as it really is (either because there is government- or socially-imposed censorship, or because Journalists are themselves engaged in "self-censorship" - say, because of social trends such as 'Political Correctness'), then journalism is or becomes impossible. Therefore, journalists should strive, when possible or appropriate, to defend the basic natural rights (the Rights to Life, Liberty, ownership of private property, and the pursuit of individual happiness). This is one of the key social responsibilities of journalists that will be explored in this module. Objectivity, Truthfulness, and Liberty: There are several articles (see bibliography) which students may be asked to read, as background information for the Activities to the corresponding Lesson Plans. One of the essays is by philosopher David Kelley, "Can Reporters Handle the Truth", and the other is by investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, "The Idiot Culture" (Bernstein, who along with Bob Woodward, was responsible for the award-winning news coverage of the Watergate Scandal in the 1970's) criticizes the "dumbing down" of the news via the proliferation of "info-tainment": information which is designed to entertain the public rather than keep them informed of significant socio-political events. Propaganda, Bias and Slant: where the interests of the wealthy and powerful elite in a country determine the "agenda" of what is disseminated by the media as well as the "bias" or "slant" of individual news reports (Is the mainstream media a vast network of propaganda? To assess whether a news organization and individual journalists are developing 'good journalism' (i.e., journalism that is free of bias and propaganda), it is first necessary to determine what is 'bias' and 'propaganda', as distinct from 'objectivity'. These conceptual distinctions will be brought out in the following lesson plans, and will help students think critically about the media and news reporting they encounter on a daily basis.

Journalism Ethics and Media Responsibility

by Ruben Rabinsky, Ph.D.

Background

Journalism is a profession of both Science (with its concern for truth, accuracy, and objectivity) and History (with its concern for creating and disseminating records of events that have transpired). Every person has the potential of being influenced by the media and the profession of journalism on a daily basis. Journalism has great potential for both promoting the values and ideals of a Free Society[link to definition], as well as for undermining the foundations of a Free Society - depending on whether journalism is practiced with a variety of ethical ideals and principles, or not.

By studying the ways in which Objectivity and Truth are of vital concern to Journalists (and news consumers - the general public), one realizes that it is possible to create either a truthful, objective account of present-day history (for the sake of our generation and future generations), or journalists may - deliberately or unintentionally - create a distorted, falsified account of our present-day events.

Freedom of Expression: without this right, there cannot be 'genuine' or 'good' journalism; if reporters and editors are not free to describe the facts and the world as it really is (either because there is government- or socially-imposed censorship, or because Journalists are themselves engaged in "self-censorship" - say, because of social trends such as 'Political Correctness'), then journalism is or becomes impossible. Therefore, journalists should strive, when possible or appropriate, to defend the basic natural rights (the Rights to Life, Liberty, ownership of private property, and the pursuit of individual happiness). This is one of the key social responsibilities of journalists that will be explored in this module.

Objectivity, Truthfulness, and Liberty: There are several articles (see bibliography) which students may be asked to read, as background information for the Activities to the corresponding Lesson Plans. One of the essays is by philosopher David Kelley, "Can Reporters Handle the Truth", and the other is by investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, "The Idiot Culture" (Bernstein, who along with Bob Woodward, was responsible for the award-winning news coverage of the Watergate Scandal in the 1970's) criticizes the "dumbing down" of the news via the proliferation of "info-tainment": information which is designed to entertain the public rather than keep them informed of significant socio-political events.

Propaganda, Bias and Slant: where the interests of the wealthy and powerful elite in a country determine the "agenda" of what is disseminated by the media as well as the "bias" or "slant" of individual news reports (Is the mainstream media a vast network of propaganda? To assess whether a news organization and individual journalists are developing 'good journalism' (i.e., journalism that is free of bias and propaganda), it is first necessary to determine what is 'bias' and 'propaganda', as distinct from 'objectivity'. These conceptual distinctions will be brought out in the following lesson plans, and will help students think critically about the media and news reporting they encounter on a daily basis.