JOURNALISM ETHICS & ISSUESCLASS #20 | JRNL 4650 | FALL 2016

• Instructor: Bill Mitchell • bmitch (at) gmail (dot) com• 727-641-9407• 15 November 2016 | Northeastern Univ.

1

WHAT WE’LL DO TODAY • Discussion of your posts from Dan Kennedy’s classes

• Review of Foreman’s Chapter 17: Covering a diverse, multicultural society (including various Trump constituencies)

• Discussion of journalistic lessons from the presidential campaign:

• How might journalists do things differently, starting now?

• Assignments for Thursday; Discussion of final paper

• Quiz

2

TOPICS FROM DAN KENNEDY CLASSES

3

• Media ownership: Billionaires better than megacorps?--Elise

• The discipline of verification sexual assault coverage--Janine

• The importance of language, e.g. the word, ”liar”--Olivia

FOREMAN CHAPTER 17: COVERING A DIVERSE, MULTICULTURAL

SOCIETY

4

• Including diversity of thought, ideologies and politics as well as race & ethnicity

• Implications of the Rashomon approach to coverage of diverse communities

AN ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY

• Journalists have a moral duty to report accurately, fairly, and sensitively on our diverse, multicultural society.

• Until the final decades of the twentieth century, this duty was rarely even acknowledged.

Following slides from Wiley & Sons Instructors’ Resources

FROM THE SPJ CODE• Tell the story “of the diversity and

magnitude of the human experience.”• “Seek sources whose voices we seldom

hear.” • Avoid stereotyping.• Journalists should “examine the ways

their values and experiences may shape their reporting.”

COVERING OTHER CULTURES• Challenge stereotypes by becoming

informed on people as individuals.• Talk about cultural values and

traditions.• Learn the protocols and courtesies.

POLITICAL DIVERSITY (SUCH AS IT IS) AMONG UNIVERSITY FACULTY

8

TRUMP CONSTITUENCIES IN NEED OF MORE COVERAGE?

9

COVERING NEW IMMIGRANTS• Language fluency can be an asset, but

it can also signal “culture solidarity.”• As a result, journalists must strive to

be clear about their impartiality.

USE IMMIGRANTS’ NAMES?

• If the immigrant lacks documents, the story could cause him or her to be deported. (Raleigh News & Observer case)

• “Informed consent” is essential.

WHEN TO IDENTIFY BY RACE

• Is it relevant?• Is the relevance clear?• Is the story free of code words?• Are racial identifiers used evenly?• Should I consult someone of another

race or ethnicity?

COVERING GAYS AND LESBIANS

Sexual orientation is not relevant in most stories, but avoid a double standard.• In the kind of story in which the

spouses and families of a “straight” person would be mentioned, report comparable facts if the subject is gay.

COVERAGE RESOURCES -- IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS,

ASK:• Association of Black Journalists• Asian American Journalists Association• National Association of Hispanic

Journalists• Native American Journalists

Association• South Asian Journalists Association• National Lesbian and Gay Journalists

Association

THE DEATH OF CYNTHIA WIGGINS:

MORE DISCUSSION OF THIS CASE IN THURSDAY’S CLASS

• To what extent was her death a traffic

accident for which no one was to blame?

• To what extent was she a victim of racism?

• How does the Rashomon approach apply to this case? How does it apply to other cases involving ethnicity and race?

SOME PLUSES & MINUSES IN CAMPAIGN COVERAGE

16

•

PLUS: AGGRESSIVE REPORTING

17

PLUS: RIGOROUS FACT-CHECKING

18

PLUS: IN DEPTH REPORTING (BUT LESS ATTENTION PAID TO IT)

19

MINUS: FAKE NEWS(LOTS OF ATTENTION PAID TO IT:

1 MILLION FB SHARES FOR THIS ONE)

20

MINUS: SLOPPY USE OF POLLING (AND POLLING THAT WAS JUST PLAIN WRONG)

21

MINUS: INSUFFICIENT ATTENTION PAID TO TRUMP’S REAL CONSTITUENCIES

AND ARCHITECTS

22

MINUS: INSUFFICIENT ATTENTION PAID TO TRUMP’S REAL CONSTITUENCIES

AND ARCHITECTS, CONT.

23

24

SO NOW WHAT?

• The American people seem to want change, and it would only be appropriate for news organizations to adapt and make some changes themselves.-- Wolff

• … many believe that as journalists the main goal is to be transparent and remain objective simultaneously.-- Maddie

• Dowd’s comment on America becoming more “tribal” was proven to be very accurate, with Trump’s large swath of supporters located outside of blue, urban outposts surprising the media and liberals due to the cultural divide between the Trump and Clinton bases. -- Ben

25

ASSIGNMENTS FOR THURSDAY NOV. 17

• Re-read discussion of Cynthia Wiggins case (beginning of Chapter 17 in Foreman)

• Read Chapter 18 in Foreman: Ethics Issues Specific to Digital Journalism

• If I haven’t given you credit for five comments to classmate blog posts, add some and send me the url so I can read them (you have until Dec. 6).

26

QUIZ TIME – ALSO TIME TO DISCUSS IDEAS FOR YOUR FINAL PAPERS

27

A STORY ABOUT A CULTURE

• The story provides context and assigns race its proper place.

• The story embraces complexity, revealing “the gray truths of race relations.”

A STORY ABOUT A CULTURE (CONTINUED)

• We hear the voices of the people; quotes and sound bites are “purposeful.”

• The story has the ring of authenticity, providing “true insight.”

IF TIME, KEITH WOODS INTERVIEW WITH TED KOPPEL AND ERIC WRAY OF NIGHTLINE

30