For the Center for Journalism Ethics (CJE), the fifth annual ethics conference on April 5– is it the fifth already? — marks the end of its formative years. It is the last conference for me. …
Media Morals
How Leveson might promote journalism ethics
The Leveson recommendations for regulating the British press is a clever, informed attempt to nudge – push? – newspapers into the modern world where major institutions need to account for their power, and abuse of …
Bashing Leveson: How Not to Defend Press Freedom
Some members of the British media and political establishment are appalled by the recommendations of the Lord Leveson inquiry into journalism ethics. How dare anyone consider public regulation or review of the free press? Once …
Re-thinking why we believe in free expression
For the past two weeks or more, a fierce debate has raged about the publishing of the offensive video and French magazine cartoons about Mohammed. Predictably, the debate has been structured around two positions – a strong call for free expression (offensive or not) versus calls for protection against offensive material.
Media Ethics is now Media Activism
Upheavals in journalism have bequeathed to journalists a dizzying whirlpool of ethical issues that become the topics of talk shows, academic papers, and conference panels. The focus of these discussions tends to be on how …
How social media changes the function of journalism
The revolution in media has created a revolution in journalism ethics. One area where the ethical revolution is evident is a new emphasis on certain functions of journalism that have long played a secondary role …
The emotions of democratic journalism
Often, when I speak to audiences about impartial, objective journalism, my listeners are skeptical about the very idea. Some say that everyone has biases so objectivity is a myth. Others voice another complaint: An impartial …
Is “democratic media” a quaint memory? Let’s talk
When I asked my colleagues what the topic should be for the ethics center’s conference in April, I received an unambiguous reply: media and electoral politics.
The feeling was unambiguous not only because we are in the middle of a presidential campaign. There was another reason. Many citizens are concerned that the idea of fair and free elections, built upon tough but informative campaigns, and analyzed by fair-minded journalists, was not just an idea under pressure. It was an idea in jeopardy.
Public media seek integrity in digital age
Trust “is perhaps the most important asset public broadcasting carries forward into evolving public media future,” writes Byron Knight. Knight should know. He’s had a long career in public broadcasting. Now, he is co-director of …
Fighting for the soul of journalism
The question, “Who is a journalist?”, has special importance in an era where citizens can commit random acts of journalism with the flick of a computer key. However, after several years of debate, people tire …