Transcript Ethics in Journalism

Ethics in Journalism
Jarrett Wilson
Yeovil College Chaplaincy
Adviser
Scenario 1
Your team are putting together a documentary about climate
change and the deadline set by your funding source and
the BBC is fast-approaching. Each of you on the team
have a passion to see people informed about the dangers
of climate change, and so you’re working to piece
together scientific studies with interviews from some of the
most high-profile climatologists around the world. One of
your team is sent a report via email from a significant
climate change research organisation, detailing the most
recent findings off the coast of Antarctica. In her email the
scientist also writes, “the data may seem inconclusive, but
we think it’s more likely that climate change is affecting
the ice in Antarctica than not. If you accentuate certain
details of the report and not others, you can make a good,
convincing case that climate change is happening.”
What is your response? You are passionate about what you are
reporting and this report could be the best contribution
you have for your documentary. Do you accentuate
certain elements of the report and “dumb-down” the parts
that don’t fit with your theory? If you don’t dumb it down
you are worried that people might not believe how
important climate change is, and each of you really
believe it to be a threat to mankind. Can you afford not to
play down the parts that may affect your theory?
Scenario 2
Your team is responsible for putting together a
weekly political debate programme. The area
you are filming in has a small majority of people
who voted for a neo-Nazi political party, and
who narrowly elected one of their members
into Parliament at the last general election. If
you do not invite him onto your panel, you are
concerned that the public will think you’re not
reporting fairly, which might cause some
people to have sympathy for this racist and
xenophobic political party. However, if you do
invite him on, your team is concerned that even
more people will be vulnerable to this political
party’s extremist message.
What do you do? Do you allow the political
representative onto your programme, or not?
How do you explain your actions to the public if
you do invite him on? How will you explain your
actions if you don’t?
Scenario 3
A Palestinian member of your news team gets
caught in the crossfire between Israeli and
Palestinian soldiers and begins to film the event.
The camera catches a father and his son trying
to take cover around the corner of a building.
The footage, which lasts just over a minute,
shows the pair holding onto each other, the
boy crying and the father waving, then a burst
of gunfire and dust, after which the boy is seen
slumped across his father's legs. The footage is
submitted to your news team back in the UK
and your team member working from the
Middle East informs you that the child was killed
by Israeli gunfire.
What do you report? What will be the ramifications
if you say that the child was killed by Israelis? Is
your cameraman’s eyewitness enough to go
on? Should you trust his report?
Applied Ethics
• What is the morally correct
approach?
– Utilitarianism
– Virtue Ethics
– Casuistry
• Is there such a thing as
objectivity?
BBC’s Editorial Guidelines
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/edguide/editorialvalues/
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Truth & Accuracy
Impartiality & Diversity of Opinion
Editorial Integrity & Independence
Serving the Public Interest
Fairness
Privacy
Harm &Offence
Children
Accountability
Rows with the BBC
• Gaza Appeal
• Jonathan Ross/Russell
Brand
• British National Party
• Accusations of “left-wing
bias”
Documentaries
• Based around events
• Based around people
• Based around problems in
society/the world
• Topical
Ethical Dilemmas
• Docu-dramas
• “Shock-umentaries”
• Information/Entertainment
fusion
– Clever editing
– Music + Emotion
Ethical Journalism?
Channel 4 controversies
• Ahmadinejad’s Christmas
speech
• Faith-based
documentaries
• “True Stories”
Harm Limitation Principle
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Show compassion for those who may be affected
adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity
when dealing with children and inexperienced sources
or subjects.
Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or
photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
Recognize that gathering and reporting information
may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is
not a license for arrogance.
Recognize that private people have a greater right to
control information about themselves than do public
officials and others who seek power, influence or
attention. Only an overriding public need can justify
intrusion into anyone's privacy.
Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or
victims of sex crimes.
Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before
the formal filing of charges.
Balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with the
public's right to be informed.
THANK
YOU!