Key words: Ethics, Dilemma, Conflict of interest, conglomerate, Privacy, Access
Take a moment to review the definition of ethics.
a. What is ethics?
b. Is what is right or what is wrong always a clear, black-and-white choice?
c. Why is it important to judge a person's intentions when they act?
What is a dilemma?
Can you think of a dilemma that you have faced in your life? A moment where you had a hard choice and neither one of them was good for you?
Conflict of Interest:
1. the circumstance of a public officeholder, business executive, or the like, whose personal interests might benefit from his or her official actions or influence: The senator placed his stocks in trust to avoid possible conflict of interest.
2. the circumstance of a person who finds that one of his or her activities, interests, etc., can be advanced only at the expense of another of them.
Classic Example for 1. You are the governor. One of your friends, a real estate developer, has given money to your campaign. He now gives you a beachfront house. Six months later, a bill comes to your desk that would benefit his company. His company has been fined for polluting the beaches of the state. Opponents of the bill say it would it would damage the beaches of the state. On the other hand, he's given you a free house. What do you do?
The role of the Press in a free society
News organizations are supposed to be watchdogs, that work on behalf of the public, and are not under any company or organization's control.
State-run media vs. Private media
Who benefits from a state-run media?
Who could benefit from a privately-run media?
Objectivity: being objective, not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased:
Case Studies
Conflict of interest in the Media
Companies own media companies.
Look up media conglomerates. Who owns NBC? Who owns ABC?
Go to the Colombia School of Journalism:
http://www.cjr.org/resources/
Look up one the following:
ABC
CBS
NBC
Fox
CNN
Are these companies privately owned, or are they part of a conglomerate?
Conglomerate:
a corporation consisting of a number of subsidiary companies or divisions in a variety of unrelatedindustries, usually as a result of merger or acquisition.
What are the dangers for reporters working for a news company that is part of a conglomerate?
Based on your research, is the news you get from any of these major companies at risk for conflict of interest? Who might influence what you see, or just as importantly, what you don't see.
Lies of omission -- you're not lying about anybody, you're simply ignoring them.
Take a moment to review the definition of ethics.
a. What is ethics?
b. Is what is right or what is wrong always a clear, black-and-white choice?
c. Why is it important to judge a person's intentions when they act?
What is a dilemma?
Can you think of a dilemma that you have faced in your life? A moment where you had a hard choice and neither one of them was good for you?
Conflict of Interest:
1. the circumstance of a public officeholder, business executive, or the like, whose personal interests might benefit from his or her official actions or influence: The senator placed his stocks in trust to avoid possible conflict of interest.
2. the circumstance of a person who finds that one of his or her activities, interests, etc., can be advanced only at the expense of another of them.
Classic Example for 1. You are the governor. One of your friends, a real estate developer, has given money to your campaign. He now gives you a beachfront house. Six months later, a bill comes to your desk that would benefit his company. His company has been fined for polluting the beaches of the state. Opponents of the bill say it would it would damage the beaches of the state. On the other hand, he's given you a free house. What do you do?
The role of the Press in a free society
News organizations are supposed to be watchdogs, that work on behalf of the public, and are not under any company or organization's control.
State-run media vs. Private media
Who benefits from a state-run media?
Who could benefit from a privately-run media?
Objectivity: being objective, not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased:
Case Studies
Conflict of interest in the Media
Companies own media companies.
Look up media conglomerates. Who owns NBC? Who owns ABC?
Go to the Colombia School of Journalism:
http://www.cjr.org/resources/
Look up one the following:
ABC
CBS
NBC
Fox
CNN
Are these companies privately owned, or are they part of a conglomerate?
Conglomerate:
a corporation consisting of a number of subsidiary companies or divisions in a variety of unrelatedindustries, usually as a result of merger or acquisition.
What are the dangers for reporters working for a news company that is part of a conglomerate?
Based on your research, is the news you get from any of these major companies at risk for conflict of interest? Who might influence what you see, or just as importantly, what you don't see.
Lies of omission -- you're not lying about anybody, you're simply ignoring them.