How to teach a course in media ethics
Media ethics is a critical part of journalism education. Aspiring journalists need to understand ethical decision-making and choices are essential to ensuring the profession's credibility. Journalism ethics plays an important role in how the news media covers stories and makes decisions. Getting students involved in the ethics discussion early on helps better prepare them for better ethical decision making as they develop their careers.
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Instructions
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Introduce students to standard codes of ethics common to organizations such as the Society of Professional Journalists. Discuss aspects of the codes and their importance. Use practical examples of journalists who committed plagiarism or those who reported a story and have a conflict of interest. Show students how taking money in exchange for news coverage would be a violation of a code of ethics. Talk about how some media organizations such as, The New York Times, have their own code.
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Examine case studies involving ethical dilemmas faced by real journalists in real situations. Read through each case and have students answer questions. Urge them to express their issues and concerns. Encourage them to consider how they would handle similar situations. Indiana University houses a number of media ethics cases online.
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Search newspapers and magazines for controversial headlines or photographs for in-class workshops. Watch for provocative television clips, or controversial video or content. Recruit student opinion and evaluation. Arrange students into several different groups to encourage group discussion and resolution.
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Screen movies with appropriate themes to spark discussion about present-day issues facing the profession. Watch Shattered Glass to learn about plagiarism or Wag the Dog to drive discussion concerning ethics and politics. Question students about Hollywood perceptions concerning media professionals.
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