[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We asked several media experts to weigh in on some of the ethical dilemmas facing journalists as they report on the Trump administration. From dealing with dishonest sources to using the term “lie” to describe falsehoods, …
Lead feature
Q & A with Chris Wells: Trump as a Media Mastermind
Chris Wells is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His latest work, published in Political Communication, examines the many strategies Donald Trump used to generate news coverage. …
Wisconsin legislators’ budget maneuver also strikes against Ethics Center’s core mission
On June 5, the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee added a provision to the proposed state budget that would require the independent, non-profit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism to leave its home in the School …
Join us Friday April 5 for our 5th annual ethics conference: “Who is Shaping the News?”
Save the date! Our 5th journalism ethics conference will be Friday, April 5, 2013 at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery in Madison, Wisconsin. It will be our biggest conference yet. This year, a distinguished and dynamic group of journalists and scholars will explore “Who is Shaping the News? Academics, Corporations, Critics.”
Award-winning investigative reporter Lowell Bergman will deliver our keynote speech, and we will present this year’s Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics. Panelists include CBC producer Ira Basen, CNBC senior correspondent Scott Cohn, CJE’s Katy Culver, Andy Hall of WisconsinWatch, media scholar Lew Friedland, Lorie Hearn of Investigative Newssource, investigative journalist Brant Houston, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jan Schaffer, journalist and scholar Lee Wilkins,
The Ethical Character of Public Broadcasting
The presidential election campaign has stirred debate over the role of government, including taxpayer support for public service media. Much coverage has focused on possible cuts to shows like Sesame Street, and its iconic Big Bird. Long-time public broadcaster and executive Bryon Knight reminds us that funding for public media buys us more than Big Bird. It supports a locally based system of public service that is accountable not to advertisers and shareholders. It supports a service accountable to all citizens.
Many thanks to our conference speakers and participants!
Once again, the Center is grateful for the energy and dedication of all who participated in our 4/13/12 conference, Ethics & Elections: Media, Money & Power in 2012. Special thanks to our technical crew, and …
Why transparency is not enough: The Case of Mr. Mike
Canadian journalist Ira Basen analyzes the seminal case of prominent tech blogger Mike Arrington to underline the confusing and controversial issue of conflicts of interest among “new media” writers such as bloggers. He argues that their mantra, “transparency is the new objectivity,” has limitations. Stating that you are biased or that you have a conflict of interest may not be enough to produce trustworthy journalism. Maybe neutrality – or having no agenda – is still the best ethical approach to good journalism.
The Fall and Rise of Partisan Journalism
You don’t need to have a degree in history — or even to have paid much attention when you suffered the US history survey course as an undergraduate — to know that American newspapers were very partisan in the 19th century. “Editors,” wrote one historian, “unabashedly shaped the news and their editorial comment to partisan purposes.
Thanks to our sponsors, panelists, and conference attendees!
The Center for Journalism Ethics stages a conference on partisan news media April 15, featuring a keynote by a leading Al Jazeera English official and sessions on the impact of partisan media on public broadcasting, polls, and public opinion. Leading journalists, media ombudsmen, and communication experts will lead the discussion. For full details . . .
Governor Walker and the Beast: Do ends justify the means?
The storm of controversy that swirls around the prank call to Gov. Scott Walker raises the oldest question in ethics: If you achieve results, who cares about the means?
Of course, we are taught to be wary of “the ends justifies the means” reasoning, but is this always the case in journalism?
By existing journalism standards, the prank call was unethical practice. But explaining how such standards apply in a world of new media and new practices is complicated . . .