Ethics Terms and Essentials of Journalism

Question 1

Ethics

Answer 1

Moral principles that govern the conduct of individuals and organizations

Question 2

Accuracy

Answer 2

getting all the facts right and always seeking the truth

Question 3

Credibility

Answer 3

a reputation for being right

Question 4

influence

Answer 4

persuade

Question 5

Integrity

Answer 5

the quality of possessing an inner sense of knowing right from wrong and adhering to high moral principles or professional standards

Question 6

Anonymous Sources

Answer 6

Sources who don’t want to be named

Question 7

Transparency

Answer 7

Writing into the story where the information came from and allowing readers to decide for themselves whether to believe the story

Question 8

On the record

Answer 8

the information can be attributed to the source by name

Question 9

Impartial

Answer 9

being objective and putting aside personal opinions when writing the news

Question 10

How do we increase impartiality?

Answer 10

Journalists should keep their distance from the people and organization they cover so it doesn’t become opinionated or personal to them.

Question 11

Conflict of Interest

Answer 11

when a story is on something that a person feels a strong opinion about in their personal life

Question 12

Who came up with updated guidelines for online reporting?

Answer 12

The Poynter Institute. Three basics: truth and accuracy, clear and never manipulated, and there are terms and conditions for opinionated pieces vs. solicited stories and should be easily distinguished.

Question 13

ethics violations

Answer 13

This will break down the trust between a news organization and its audience.

Question 14

Plagiarism

Answer 14

copying the work of others and passing it off as your own

Question 15

Fabrication

Answer 15

everything from making up quotes and details to modifying stories to writing a whole story that never happened.

Question 16

A lack of objectivity

Answer 16

When journalists personal opinions and beliefs get in the way of their writing

Question 17

Juan Williams

Answer 17

He was fired from his job after he made statements about Muslims and terrorism on a Fox News Channel show. He had the right to say what he wanted but not to continue to get paid by NPR.

Question 18

What is the difference between plagiarism and fabrication

Answer 18

Plagiarism is pretending something you didn’t write is your own; fabrication is just making something up completely.

Question 19

The American Society of News Editors (ASNE)

Answer 19

This organization acknowledged that the press had serious obligations and responsibilities and put newspaper editors around the country on the same page, at least when it came to ethics.

Question 20

1. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth

Answer 20

Seek truth on daily basis. Process and verify facts. Journalists should use reliable information and sources.

Question 21

2. Its first loyalty is to citizens

Answer 21

Bias should be set aside. Credibility is how you build an audience and getting accurate stories multiple times, consistently. Journalists shouldn’t ignore groups of people and stories covered should be without favor towards anyone specific.

Question 22

3. discipline of verification

Answer 22

It’s important to have a consistent and transparent approach to testing information and take measures to avoid the bias that humans inevitably have. As long as the journalistic method is objective it doesn’t matter if the journalist themselves are objective or not.

Question 23

4. Its practices must maintain an independence from those they cover

Answer 23

You have to be independent of the things you cover; and avoid conflicts of interests and impropriety. Having an independent spirit as a journalist is how this is accomplished: setting aside one’s own class, economic status, race, ethnicity, etc.

Question 24

5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power

Answer 24

Press should be watching the government and big businesses. Healthcare, education system, etc. The press should be on the side of the people and citizens not the power structure.

Question 25

6. It must serve as a forum for public criticism and compromise.

Answer 25

Work from journalists are used often as discussion pieces and the privilege of providing this information to society comes with laws protecting content and writers, but they are also obligation ally supposed to provide high quality content so that society and government can make the best possible decisions.

Question 26

7. It must strive to keep the significant interesting and relevant

Answer 26

An audience should be created for the purpose of the writing and wants and needs of readers should be anticipated. Needs to be significant and relevant to the everyday working citizen.

Question 27

8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional

Answer 27

Allows citizens to utilize the information to navigate society, there needs to be significantly more attention on the most important parts of issues, rather than trivial part. No inflation of events, neglect of events, or stereotyping because this will make it unreliable.

Question 28

9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise personal conscience

Answer 28

Journalists need a personal sense of ethics and responsibility and willing to question their own work as well as be wrong. A newsroom needs to be open to different sides and opinions to get the most accurate and fair representation of information.

Question 29

10. Citizens, too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news

Answer 29

1. people are like journalists because we easily access information and can write whatever we want, spread whatever we want, and decide the accuracy of information 2. a difference is that journalists have motive and intent to create a better and well-educated society. There is also a conscience with a discipline for verifying the truth. 3. Modern journalists no longer hide information away and display other, they verify and the consumer is likely to have seen or heard about the topic online so the journalist now has the job to outline some sense and more accurate explanations of the information. They help people figure out what the information can be used for and how it applies to everyday life.

Question 30

fair play

Answer 30

journalists should respect the rights of people involved in their story, observe common standards of decency, and be accountable to the public for the fairness and accuracy of their reports. Pledges of confidentiality should be honored at all costs, and sources should be identified unless there is a clear and pressing need to maintain confidences.