Bob Meyers led a discussion of ethics and Washington journalism Saturday afternoon, attempting to reconcile unabridged news coverage with the ethical obligations of reporters.
On American journalism…
A discussion of suicide coverage uncovered the realization that events, as independent as they may be, will undoubtedly affect a multitude of people. Journalists must first understand this ripple pattern and then choose an ethical course of action to contextually report the story.
As journalists we often study the classroom ethical dilemmas: confidential sources, threats, repercussions, jail time, etc. But Meyers suggested that a failure to understand and fully report a story, even if the journalist followed “ethical rules”, can and should be considered a breach of ethics.
Meyers also touched upon the misleading power of photography and the stark differences of “what it means to be a journalist” among students around the world.