Ethics, Moral Philosophy, and Journalistic Integrity: Key Concepts and Theories

Ethical decisions

More about dilemmas between equally compelling or unattractive choices than clear right vs. wrong.

Dilemmas

Ethics is known as the Dilemma of _______

Ethics

Rational process based on principles.

Morals

_________ Rooted in religion and belief systems.

Ethics

begins when moral systems conflict.

Tool

Ethics is a ______, not an answer. It provides Tools, not answers: Ethics provides skills, models, vocabulary, and insights, not fixed rules

greeks

Who divided philosophy into aesthetics (beauty), epistemology (knowledge), ethics (what is good).

aesthetics

the study of the beautiful and how a person could analyze beauty without relying only on subjective evaluations.

epistemology

the study of knowing, a debate about what constitutes learning, and what is knowable.

ethics

the study of what is good, both for the individual and for society.

That we must have empathy for the people involved in ethical decisions

Maintaining social trust is a fundamental goal

Bok's Model is based on two things:

Consult your own conscience

Seek expert advice for alternatives

conduct a public discussion with the parties directly and indirectly involved in the dispute

What are the three steps of Bok's Model

Aristotle's Golden Mean

"Moral virtue is a middle state determined by practical wisdom."

Confucius's Self-Cultivation

Through self-cultivation, one is shaped and transformed by internalizing the social values through accumulative learning and repeated practices.

Kant's Categorical Imperative

"Act on that maxim which you will to become universal law"

Mill's Utilitarianism

"Seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number"

W.D. Ross's Pluralistic Theory of Value

More than one ethical value often simultaneously "competes" for preeminence in our ethical decision-making, so we must distinguish between the right and the good.

Feminist Theory and the Ethics of Care

Begins with lived experience, and balances care for others with truth.

Because they hope for certainty in dilemmas, similar to how science provides definitive answers

Why do people sometimes look for "the answer" in ethics like they do in science?

Ethical choices are vague and situational, while scientific knowledge often appears more certain.

Why does ethics seem less certain than science?

Science has undergone vast changes, while new moral thinking usually builds on older theories rather than radically changing them.

How has science changed in the past 100 years compared to ethics?

Striking areas of agreement across cultures and traditions

What do global perspectives on ethics reveal?

Aristotle's Golden Mean, Utilitarianism, and Kant's Categorical Imperative.

Which ethical theories remain influential after centuries of review?

Ethical thought

What is more continuous: scientific thought or ethical thought?

Ancient Greeks

What is memorable and is handed down.

Plato

What abides in the world of perfect forms

Medievel

What the king, church, or God says

Milton

What emerges from the "marketplace of ideas"

Enlightenment

What is verifiable, replicable, and universal

ragmatisis

What is filtered through individual perception

Objectivity

a way of knowing that connects human perception with facts and then knowledge

It is also a process of information collection

true

True or false: Journalists are often asked to cover issues and questions that life experiences have not prepared them to cover.

Primarily male, caucasian, well-educated, and middle-to-upper class.

Generally, they are better paid and better educated than the audience for their product.

Describe many journalists and why they are not always prepared for the stories that they are asked to cover

Walter Lippman

For the most part, we do not first see, and then define, we define first and then see."

Theodore L. Glasser

argued that a strict adherence to objectivity could bias news coverage

"Objective reporting is biased against what the press typically defines as its role in a democracy—that of a Fourth Estate, the watchdog role, an adversary press."

"Objective reporting is biased against independent thinking; it emasculates the intellect by treating it as a disinterested spectator."

"Objective reporting is biased against the very idea of responsibility; the day's news is viewed as something journalists are compelled to report, not something they are responsible for creating."

stated, known false, to gain power.

Bok's definition of lying

Fake news/disinformation

parallels lying

omission

the lie is that some part of the truth was conveniently left out

comission

the lie is an untruth told purposefully

true

True or false: Internet worsens deception

Accuracy

using the correct facts and the right words and putting things in context

confirmation

writing articles that can withstand scrutiny inside and outside the newsroom

tenacity

knowing when a story is important enough to require additional effort, both personal and institutional

dignity

leaving the subject of a story with as much self-respect as possible

Reciprocity

treating others as you wish to be treated

Sufficiency

allocating adequate resources to important issues

Equity:

seeking justice for all involved in controversial issues and treating all sources and subjects equally

valuing social cohesion

Diversity

covering all segments of the audience fairly and equally

Accuracy

Confirmation

Tenacity

Dignity

Reciprocity (Golden Rule)

Sufficiency

Equity

Community

Diversity

list the Ethical News Values

Strategic communication

Seamless connections between what professionals used to refer to as advertising and public relations

true

true or false Ethical issues arise with how technology is used, not with the technology itself.

T: Truthful?

A: Authentic?

R: Respectful?

E: Equity between sender/receiver?

S: Socially responsible?

Explain the TARES test

Yes

Are there certain types of audiences that deserve special protection from advertising messages?

assigned, contracted, self-imposed

Hodges argued that Responsibilities come from three sources

assigned responsibilities

Duties that are given to you by others (e.g., by your employer, supervisor, or an institution).

contracted responsibilities

Duties that you have formally agreed to take on (e.g., through a contract, agreement, or promise).

Self-imposed responsibilities

Duties you choose to take on yourself, based on your personal values, ethics, or sense of commitment.