Poynter. » Poynter Ethics Journal

Why did journalists act as a pack in withholding names of Herman Cain’s accusers?

Kelly McBride — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:15:40 +0000

Until today, media covering allegations of sexual harassment leveled against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain have universally withheld the identities of the women, who did not voluntarily come forward.

Then today, The Daily, Rupert Murdoch’s iPad publication, revealed the… Read more

A New Ethics Column from Poynter

Bill Mitchell — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 23:10:47 +0000

Hello Everybody,

We’d like to alert you to a new blog – Everyday Ethics — by Poynter’s Kelly McBride and colleagues. The column includes reports on ethical decision-making in newsrooms big and small, and will provide shorter, more frequently updated… Read more

Covering the End of Life: Tips & Resources

Kelly McBride — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 21:30:57 +0000

The living will is a nice idea that isn’t working, says a report by the Hastings Center expected to be released Thursday afternoon. This news comes after thousands of people created such documents in order to avoid the fate of Terri Schiavo, the… Read more

DeFede and Beyond: Second Chance Ethics

Aly Colón — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 16:34:38 +0000

Sometimes I feel journalists work in a
reform-minded, ethical environment that seems as efficient at dealing
with ethical lapses as the French state was with political lapses
during its 18^th century revolution. In both… Read more

Schiavo Case a Chance for Journalists to Lead

Kelly McBride — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:18:34 +0000

The national debate over the fate of Terri Schiavo lays bare the ways we in America talk about our most important values. It is a cautionary tale for journalists faced with the challenge of framing issues fueled by fiercely held… Read more

On the Dangers of Holding Back

Kelly McBride — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 13:56:18 +0000

The arrest of a suspect in the BTK serial murder case in Wichita, Kan., is shining a light on a common police beat practice – holding back.

In the 1970s, Cathy Henkel was a staff writer at the Wichita Sun, a weekly.… Read more

The Reporting Process Unveiled (Warning, It’s Not Pretty)

Kelly McBride — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 22:27:04 +0000

RELATED SEMINAR

The CBS report released almost two weeks ago pulls apart the reporting process and reveals the many faults of the “60 Minutes Wednesday”… Read more

Covering Trauma & Tragedy: What it Takes

Kelly McBride — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 19:21:46 +0000

Dr. Frank Ochberg remembers the first time he cut into a live human being. He was doing his surgical rotation as a medical student decades ago. He held the scalpel as his teacher placed a hand on top of his.… Read more

Journalists: More Ethical than People Realize?

Kelly McBride — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 12:31:31 +0000

The American public thinks journalists are ethically challenged, according to a Gallup Poll. Yet another study shows journalists have highly developed abilities when it comes to moral reasoning. What gives?

First the studies. The American public doesn’t trust reporters. This according… Read more

Insulating News from Legend

Kelly McBride — Thu, 02 Dec 2004 19:36:36 +0000

Sometimes, isolated news events are destined to become part of our national identity. I’m talking about stories so powerful and dramatic that they can be reduced to a word, usually a name, that conjures up an entire narrative.

Kitty… Read more