NAME: __________________________________

DATE: _________________

ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING Youve discovered a factory where boys under age 12 work 10 hours a day, six days a week, and are paid less than half the countrys minimum wage. The countrys constitution prohibits employers form hiring anyone under 14 and it is illegal for anyone to work more than 45 hours a week. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Whats the dilemma? What more do you need to know before publishing the story? Who or what might be affected the story? Whats the storys impact? How can you minimize harm? What is your decision regarding this story?

You are the editor-in-chief of a college daily newspaper. A reporter wrote a story of a campus protest on the use of the F-word in the campus free-speech zone. The photographer took a photo of a protestor holding up a sign with the F-word on it, and the news editor chose to use that photo for publication for the front page. The newspapers editorial policy on profanity is to put in hyphens after the first letter. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Whats the dilemma? What more do you need to know before publishing the paper? Who or what might be affected the photo? Whats the photos impact? How can you minimize harm? What is your decision regarding this photo?

NAME: ______________________________

DATE: ________________

JOURNALISM ETHICS Directions: For BOTH situations below, craft a thoughtful response and be prepared to discuss in class.

WHAT: The situation. Caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad didnt cause much of a stir when they were first published in September 2005. But when they were republished in early 2006, after Muslim leaders called attention to the 12 images, it set off rioting throughout the Islamic world. Embassies were burned; people were killed. The cartoons originated with a conservative Danish daily newspaper, Jyllands-Posten. After learning that the author of a childrens book on Muhammad couldnt find an illustrator who wasnt afraid of retribution, the newspaper sponsored a contest soliciting depictions of the prophet. It was time to stop being cowed by Islamist fundamentalists, the Danes said; time to confront European medias timid self-censorship. If we dont, as the saying goes, the terrorists will have won. After the rioting and killing started, it was difficult to ignore the cartoons. Some media elected merely to describe the cartoons, not to print them. Yet every time a major protest broke out, the more likely it was that the cartoons would be published. The violent reaction made it difficult for news media in the Western world not to show their audiences what all the fuss was about. Predictably, perhaps, each publication set off a new wave of protests. Question: Do we publish the cartoons or not?

SOURCE: Society of Professional Journalists

WHAT: Youve learned that a Democratic member of the U.S. Congress, up for re-election to his fourth term, had been accused by an ex-girlfriend of a sexual assault some 28 years previously. But criminal charges never were filed, and neither the congressman, David Wu, nor his accuser wanted to discuss the case now, only weeks before the 2004 election. The (Portland) Oregonian spent months trying to discover the truth about this persistent rumor. On Oct. 12, 2004, it published an article more than 3,000 words long explaining what if found out. On that same day, Congressman Wu held a news conference to say he did something regrettable in his youth, but he didnt think it was relevant now. Other media picked up the story, of course, and his Republican opponent used it in her campaign. Heres a summary: Wu and his ex-girlfriend were science majors at Stanford University. She broke up with him in the spring of 1976. That summer, Wu was questioned by Stanford campus police after his ex-girlfriend said he tried to force her to have sex with him. Wu told police it was consensual. He was not arrested. The woman declined criminal prosecution and didnt file a formal disciplinary complaint. Wu refused to be interviewed or to answer written questions about the incident when The Oregonian asked him about it 28 years later. Wus ex-girlfriend also declined to comment, either in person or through a representative. Stanford officials wouldnt discuss it either, citing university policy and student confidentiality laws. So how did The Oregonian get its story? Here are some quotes from its article: Reporters contacted scores of former Stanford students, current and retired university officials and professors, law associates, and former campaign staffers and friends of Wu to determine what occurred. ... The account that follows is based on recollections of the Stanford patrol commander, the woman's counselor, two professors who supervised dormitories at the time and several classmates who were on campus that year. Question: Should The Oregonian publish this story?

SOURCE: Society of Professional Journalists