Ethics Articles

Media Ethics

The New Digital Divide

In this brief video, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and innovator Kim Polese addresses the new digital divide--between those who have high-speed wired broadband access to the Internet in their homes, and those who don't.
Kim Polese

Who Can Deliver the Journalism We Need in the Digital Public Square?

A historical review of media independence and the impact of digital technology on journalism
Todd Gitlin

The Future of Digital Journalism in the Public Square

The head of Google News looks at how the openness of new media present opportunities for a better informed public
Richard Gingras

What is Journalism's Mission in the Public Square?

An analysis of San Diego?s three primary news outlets
Lorie Hearn

When "Truth" Seems a Matter of Debate, Should Journalists Advocate Critical Thinking and News Litera

Executive Director of Wikimedia Foundation argues that new media do a better job than old of protecting journalistic values such as accuracy, objectivity, and depth
Sue Gardner

Cultivating Diversity Across Race, Class, Gender, Generation, and Geography

Media diversity must include race, class, gender, generation, and geography.
Martin Reynolds

Curating and Promoting News Important to Civil Society

The director of Editorial Operations at Yahoo! explores what readers want to know and what they need to know
Anthony Moor

Can Technical Solutions Protect Free and Informed Debate in the Public Square?

The chief knowledge officer of the MIT Media Lab demonstrates projects addressing media literacy, crowd-sourced and database journalism.
Henry Holzman

The Disconnect: Accountability and Consequences Online

A discussion of the breakdown among responsibility, accountability, and consequences in the online world, as demonstrated by some digital media coverage.
Stephen Luczo

The Need for Accuracy Online

There's a gap between what Internet users expect to receive (i.e. factual and accurate information) and what they too often get instead. Is it the user's responsibility to judge which sources to access on the Web? Do the publishers have a duty to strive to be accurate?
Charles "Chuck" Geschke

Citizen Journalists And How They Are Changing The News Process

What ethical issues arise when non-professionals are co-creators of the news media?
Christopher Mora

Online Hyperlocal News Sites

Implications of online hyperlocal sites for quality and integrity of the news.
Casey Moore

Digital First Media

Instant reporting from social sites and a personalized Web experience represent major changes in how consumers receive the news.
Caitlin Millar

Multigenerational News Room

Changing technologies create a generational divide among reporters.
Lucia Gonzalez

Unavoidable Ethical Dilemmas for Digital Journalists

Challenges for online media in the areas of newsgathering, accountability, transparency, metrics, and inclusion
Sally Lehrman

Digital Journalism Ethics

Videos and other materials from a roundtable on ethical issues for online media

Present and Future of Social Networking

A panel exploring the ethical and social implications of social networking technology.
John Squires, Kaitlin Thompson, Shannon Vallor, Ma

Ethics Codes and Other Resources for Journalists

Bibliography of online resources

Embellishing The Details

A student journalist considers whether to fabricate to make a point.
Jake Teeny

Tangled Web

Editors meet to discuss how to hold ethics standards high in the face of sweeping changes in how newsrooms work
Jerry Ceppos

Why News Media Must Embrace Online Rules

Online news outlets face ethical challenges when they invite public commentary
Edward Wasserman

Ethical Challenges Facing Newspapers

U.S. and Vietnamese editors discuss press freedom, government secrecy, and other issues.
Miriam Schulman

Catchy Title or Needless Deception?

A journalist must decide when a promotion for a story is misleading.
Jessica Silliman

Filtering and Pressure from Media Conglomerates

Pressure from above creates a pseudo-controversy.
Jessica Silliman

Wrestling, Weight Loss and Exposing A Flawed System

Should a reporter include details in a story about how athletes exploit loopholes in a testing program?
Jessica Silliman

Misplaced Funds Cloud Reputation: Is it worth it?

Reporting ruins the reputation of a respected local coach.
Jessica Silliman

News and a Profit-Driven Turn to Advertising

Should news content be aligned with ad revenue?
Jessica Silliman

Exploitive Tactics or Good Journalism?

How close up and personal should a reporter get to the scene of a tragedy?
Jessica Silliman

Radio News: When to use a name?

A student makes a false allegation to police. Should the campus radio station reveal the students name?
Jessica Silliman

Getting Personal: Private Lives and Public Figures

Is the mayors impending divorce a fit subject for a news story during a campaign?
Jessica Silliman

Exposing The Pay of Public Safety Officials

Does the public have the right to know the salaries of police and firefighters?
Jessica Silliman

Questionable Content: Editors and The Pressure of Falling Ad Revenue

A magazine editors job comes to include creating free advertisements for luxury products.
Jessica Silliman

Breaking a StoryAnd a Relationship

Full reporting on a case of steroid abuse would have disastrous consequences for the reporters source.
Jessica Silliman

Fair Play or Damaging The Reputation of Youth?

The father of a Little League player misstates his age so that he can play in the World Series. What is the reporters responsibility considering the boys youth?
Jessica Silliman

To Use Photos or Not: Damaging Photos in An Online Age

Undergraduates put racist photos of themselves on Facebook. Should the student newspaper reprint them?
Jessica Silliman

Creativity and The Race for Syndication

Economics of the TV industry mitigate against creative programming.
Jessica Silliman

Leaked Movie Trailer and A Confidentiality Agreement

Confidentiality agreements prevent film industry employees from releasing information about upcoming releases.
Jessica Silliman

Deceitful Movie Trailers or Good Advertising?

A producer must create an appealing trailer for a terrible movie.
Jessica Silliman

To Exploit or Commemorate: Film and The Challenge of 9/11

How soon is too soon in making movies about disasters?
Jessica Silliman

Using Borrowed Material

Using photographs published online creates ethical questions about copyright.
Jessica Silliman

Reporting Inflated Numbers

A companys internal communications representative is asked to report inflated profit numbers.
Jessica Silliman

Controversial Radio Advertising

A sales intern for a radio station is pressured to mislead advertisers.
Jessica Silliman

Bad Business Ethics or Acceptable Promotional Perks?

A radio station inflates the number of on-air giveaways they ask companies to provide and then offers the excess as perks to station employees.
Jessica Silliman

A Right or Wrong Way to Sell?

A contract sales rep is asked to circumvent the industrys chain-of-custody arrangements.
Jessica Silliman

Effects of Ethics Policies: A Positive Story

Doing the right thing brings praise.
Jessica Silliman

Homeless at the Door: A Nonprofit Challenge

Should a homeless help center have strict hours?
Jessica Silliman

Aggressive Sales Quotas or Unfair Business Practice?

An online directory chooses customer service over inflated advertising packages.
Jessica Silliman

Public Relations: Is The Customer Always Right?

A client rigs a talent competition/publicity event.
Jessica Silliman

Balancing Nonprofit Interests

Should an HIV/AIDS program focus on prevention or treatment?
Jessica Silliman

Deceitful Spammer or Marketing Genius?

Is impersonation a viable marketing approach?
Jessica Silliman

Client Obligations and Handling Your Boss

A boss forwards a draft e-mail to a client.
Jessica Silliman

Trust During The Dot-Com Boom

A company woos a new employee under false pretenses.
Jessica Silliman

Five Enduring Ethical Rules

H-P pretexting and government payment to journalists suggest the need for a reminder of ethical principles.
Jerry Ceppos

To Publish or Not to Publish

Two views on the question, Should U.S. media show cartoons that have sparked Muslim protest?
Jerry Ceppos, Eric Hanson

Ethics Experts for Media

A listing of Santa Clara University faculty and staff with expertise in ethics in a wide variety of fields.

The decision to pursue and publish the Megan's Law story

What accountability was the newspaper willing to accept if the named sex offenders lost their jobs-or worse-as a result of publishing their names?
David Yarnold and Susan Goldberg

The decision to give Armand Tiano's victims a voice

Should a newspaper print the names of victims of a sex offender at their request?
David Yarnold and Susan Goldberg

The decision to stop printing the name and photo of the 9-year-old kidnapping victim

In a child abduction case, should a newspaper assume that the child is being sexually assaulted and not use a name or photograph?
David Yarnold and Susan Goldberg

A Case for Truth

A public relations professional is asked to counsel the local Roman Catholic Archdiocese on how to respond to the sex abuse crisis.
Kirk O. Hanson

Henry's Publick House

What are the ethical questions involved when the media broadcasts hostile situations live?
Thomas Shanks