Ethics in Journalism, Advertising, and PR

Ethical Considerations in Journalism

• Journalists sometimes withhold details from stories, such as gruesome details in a murder case, to avoid causing emotional harm, especially before the era of immediate social media publishing.
• Ethical decisions are not easy for media professionals.
• Ethical guidelines are needed in journalism because freedom of speech comes with responsibility.
• The Society of Professional Journalists' (SPJ) Code of Ethics applies to all media professionals.
• Lawyers and CPAs require professional licenses, but licensing journalists could clash with the First Amendment and risk censorship by governmental officials.

Ethics in Advertising and Public Relations

• Advertising and PR professionals face ethical challenges balancing loyalty to clients with the public interest, as complete transparency can sometimes harm a client's image or sales.
• Corporate social responsibility attempts to reconcile a company’s need for profit with its duty to support community and stakeholders.
• Corporate Social Responsibility balances profit-making against social and environmental concerns.
• Sincerity is important in promoting corporate social responsibility, especially with digital media.

Ethical Dilemmas

• An ethical dilemma happens when two ethical principles compete, leading to potential disagreement among media professionals on the right decision.
• Publishing graphic photos from mass shootings presents an ethical dilemma between reporting truthfully/having an impact and minimizing harm to victims' families.
• Whether to publish details about politicians’ extramarital affairs is debated, balancing public interest/moral fitness against harming family members.
• A false ethical dilemma implies only two options exist when more choices are available or only one proper choice.
• Prioritizing fame, prestige, or money over ethical conduct is a false dilemma, as ethical conduct should always take precedence.
• Manipulating the content of a photo to win a photography contest is an example of a false ethical dilemma.
• Writing clickbait headlines prioritizes a large audience and revenue over truthfulness, while a catchy but truthful headline can achieve the same ethically.
• Deceptive, sensationalized news has existed long before electronic media.

Diversity, Ethics, and AI

• Diversity overlaps with journalism ethics because failing to reflect community diversity is a matter of accuracy.
• Media professionals need clear standards for acknowledging when content has been created using AI tools for transparency.
• News journalists should provide access to full versions of audio and video and allow examination of original documents or data sets according to Margaret Sullivan.
• Sports Illustrated publishing content from nonexistent writers with AI-generated headshots exemplifies unethical AI use in journalism.
• Bylines give credit and hold writers accountable; undisclosed AI content harms media ethics and erodes reader trust.