RFTM Ch. 7: Ethics

What are ethics? Simply put, acting and thinking morally and being able to distinguish between right and wrong. It's key to establishing credibility. But the answers to what is ethical and what is not can be elusive, situational and judgmental.

In ethical decision-making, there are several guiding questions. Among them:

Who will be hurt by this story?
Who will be helped?
What do we usually do in similar situations?
Is this the best alternative?
Can you look yourself in the mirror tomorrow and believe you did the right thing for the right reasons?
Can you justify your actions to the public?
What principles or values can you apply?
Does this decision fit the kind of journalism you believe in and the way people should treat one another?
What is the objective of this story?
Will my decisions contribute to the reason for writing the story?
Is there a greater good that you're trying to accomplish that outweighs whatever bad that may result from my actions?

There are several issues central to ethics. First, we must maintain objectivity. We must put aside personal biases; be accurate, and offer proper context based on the facts we find.

Second, we must be on guard against exploiting grief. It's important to establish the true human impact of a bad happening; that's why we try to talk to victims and survivors and their loved ones. But that's difficult because of the state of victims and their families. We risk hurting victims again by creating a "second wound" of retelling and detailing a tragic event.

So, we need to weigh the importance in the community being able to appreciate the full, tragic weight of an event versus the harm that may be done to victims.

I mean, would you feel the same about something like 9/11 if you didn't hear the personal stories of what people went through that day? That's what made 9/11 news; not that planes hit buildings, but that those events altered scores of human lives like ours.

Then again, how must it be for victim families to hear those details reaired, not only to them but to the whole world? There is no perfect answer; so we try to come up with the best imperfect answer we can.

Third, we should never steal or fabricate information. There's no grey area here; it's never acceptable. We're in the truth business. We tell the truth. It's the same as not tolerating a cop who steals or a firefighter who's a pyromaniac or a doctor that murders people.

Fourth, we must take care in handling rumors and speculation. Ideally, reporters investigate rumors and come up with evidence so they can turn rumors into facts, or debunk rumors. We don't just report rumors.

Fifth, when witnessing a crime or disaster, we need to weigh the risk to the victim versus the value of information gleaned. If we come across a victim that is not being assisted, we should be human first and help others in need. If those hurt are already being assisted, do your job and let professional responders do theirs.

As journalists, we are trying to assist humanity. Our primary way of doing that is by sharing stories of importance to the greater world. It also means using common sense, being a human being and not being a dick when the circumstances call for humanity.

Sixth, conflicts of interest should be avoided. We are in a conflict of interest when we or someone close to us are in a position to benefit from a story we cover. Circumstances that create a conflict of interest include ... 

... accepting freebies. We should not accept anything of even minimal value from a news source. Whether or not the freebie actually influences a story is irrelevant; it can create a reasonable appearance of a conflict of interest, and it's that appearance we're trying to avoid.

... free trips. We cannot accept transportation or lodging for an event that would otherwise be inaccessible. If we must be embedded with those we cover, we need to pay back the cost of our access.

... participating in the news. We should not hold public office, help with campaigns or special-interest issues, or write about issues in which we have a direct or indirect interest. For example, if we're the member of a fraternity, we shouldn't be the one writing about that frat's fund-raiser. If we think we have a conflict of interest, alert your boss and ask to be reassigned.

... dating and cronyism. Don't date who you write about. If you do, ask to be reassigned. Plus, don't allow similar conflicts with friends, family or your own private interests.

... "scratching backs." Don't write stories with the purpose of currying favor with a source. You write stories only because they are in the public interest, not your own. Try to have multiple sources in any subject area so you are not beholden to any single source for info.