Unit 5 Lesson 6: Ethics Flashcards
ethics
moral principles that dictate behavior
journalist
a person who writes for a newspaper, magazine, news website, or television news program
mass communication
the imparting of information on a large scale, to a wide range of people
media
means or vehicle for the communication of content
unethical
not morally correct
values
what a person believes to be important in life
. In some cases, it’s easy to distinguish what’s right from what’s wrong. In others, it can be less clear. For example, journalists have a code of ethics
they must abide by so that the information conveyed by news media represents facts fairly and accurately.
Now that news comes from so many different sources, including the internet, it can be tricky to know who is acting according to those ethics and who is not.
hat’s why it’s important to understand the characteristics of both ethical and unethical behavior, so that you know which news sources and other outlets of mass communication convey information that is likely to be factual.
the Society of Professional Journalists and its four principles of ethical journalism: 1 Seek truth and report it.
Journalists must verify information as thoroughly as they can, to make sure the facts they report are accurate. They must always be honest and represent the facts with appropriate context.
the Society of Professional Journalists and its four principles of ethical journalism: 2 Minimize harm.
Journalists must treat all people, including their sources and those they report on, as human beings worthy of respect and dignity. Journalists must consider whether the public’s right to know outweighs individuals’ rights to privacy or a fair trial.
the Society of Professional Journalists and its four principles of ethical journalism: 3 Act independently.
Journalists must avoid conflicts of interest and not accept gifts, favors, or special treatment in return for reporting false information or excluding facts.
the Society of Professional Journalists and its four principles of ethical journalism: 4 Be accountable.
Journalists must work to correct errors they make as quickly and transparently as possible. They must take responsibility for any violations of these four principles and work to expose them wherever they occur.
Which ethical principle(s) does plagiarism, or copying someone else’s work, violate? How?
Plagiarism violates the fourth principle: “Be accountable.” If you copy someone else’s work and pass it off as your own, you are not being transparent about where you got your information. It also violates the first principle, “Seek truth and report it,” because this principle is about honesty, and plagiarism is dishonest.
Which of the below examples is not an example of ethical behavior?
- A journalist’s sister is running for office, so the journalist does not cover any stories about her.
- An internet news website gives credit to the sources they used to write an article and explains where they got their information.
- A reporter hacks into someone’s computer to get information for a story they’re working on.
- A television news channel decides not to show graphic images of peoples’ injuries after a train crash.
c
attribution
identification of the source of paraphrased ideas or direct quotes you include in your own writing
citation
reference to sources used to inform a piece of writing
copyright
the right, under the law, to make copies of, publish, sell, or distribute an image, written work, or music composition
Creative Commons
a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping creators share their work under a variety of different types of licensing that are less strict than copyright
fair use
the right to use a limited amount of copyrighted material in your own work for a valid purpose such as review, parody, or teaching
public domain
the set of works and ideas owned by the public which can be used and copied by anyone
generative AI
a program operated by artificial intelligence that can generate information, images, and/or ideas
