Misinformation, disinformation, and extremism online have intensified, and the public, news industry, and technology sector continue to grapple with how to resolve these problems. The Journalism and Media Ethics program is developing a range of initiatives that advance the following three aims:
- Giving journalists the crucial background and framework needed for ethical journalism.
- Giving the public a voice in shaping and understanding journalism.
- Using ethical principles to frame the design and delivery of news, social media, and search products.
Commentary on Journalism and Media Ethics
Point-Counterpoint: Should The Daily Northwestern have apologized?
Ethical perspectives on student journalists' coverage of an on-campus protest.
Ad Wars, Deception and the Missing American Public
With political advertising, a convened American public, where speech and counter-speech are offered in context, does not have a seat at the table.
Ethical News Coverage of Climate Change Needs to Prioritize Efficacy
Journalists can begin to help people not only understand climate change, but also understand the paths forward by leading with how we can still make a difference.
Will Facebook’s News Tab be for ‘the Public’ and the Newsfeed for the ‘Users’?
Will Facebook's imminent News Tab feature help the public more seamlessly access credible local and national journalism without stumbling on junk along the way? This is the demand-side question.
The Ethics of Facebook’s Justifications to Exempt Hate and Lies by Politicians
New Facebook policy grants wide berth to politicians’ speech in newsfeed.
About the Journalism and Media Ethics program
The end of traditional "gatekeeping" has signaled a seismic shift in how narratives are framed, developed, distributed, socialized, and discussed. For some communities, this is troubling because it threatens a longstanding social order. For others, particularly those who have been ignored or sidelined by traditional gatekeepers, this is a tremendous moment of opportunity for greater inclusion. At the same time, journalism's financial sustainability continues to be in doubt.
Too often, the hardest and interdisciplinary problems with ethical implications are being identified only after editorial, business, and technology decisions have been incorporated into products and narratives. The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics is uniquely well-positioned to provide ethical frameworks to help stakeholders proactively identify and analyze normative questions from the early stages to later in delivery cycles, while at the same time enriching the ongoing debates in these spheres.
We are excited to supply a more comprehensive approach to applied journalism and media ethics. We are dedicated to helping media producers, journalists, product designers, members of the public, and critics develop ways to address pressing -- and persistent -- ethical dilemmas that continue to have wide-reaching consequences for us all.
