Journalism Ethics

Walter Cronkite Biography Reveals His Dark Side

Madeleine Crum | Posted 05.23.2012

A new biography of Walter Cronkite reveals the less trustworthy side of the most trusted man in America. The CBS anchor is remembered as a media gi...

Correction: Climate Change Is a Fact

David Johnson | Posted 04.23.2012

David Johnson

If journalism can't help save the world, then why in the world should the world care about saving journalism -- at least this kind of journalism? Prove that you are smart enough to be trusted with the shield of humanity that you say you deserve.

Real Reporting Does Not Include Hollywood

Leslie Griffith | Posted 04.12.2012

Leslie Griffith

In the U.K., news "anchors" are called "presenters." It's high time we make that distinction here in America as well.

Media Need to Establish Clear Ethics Codes on Using, Posting Tweets

Jerry Lanson | Posted 04.19.2012

Jerry Lanson

Most journalism organizations have clear, blanket policies: Don't steal other people's work, don't serve on your school board when you're covering education, don't endorse presidential candidates. But rules for Twitter are murkier, if articulated at all.

Flawed Pleas for Overlooked Causes

Edward Wasserman | Posted 05.27.2012

Edward Wasserman

In the news have been two unusual stories, both of them exposing outrageous abuse of innocents abroad, neither one broken by what we normally consider the news media.

A Counterpoint to the View From Everywhere

Caryl Rivers | Posted 01.07.2012

Caryl Rivers

Should we abandon the tradition of journalism that calls for the nearest approach possible to balance and fairness? That's the argument made by NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen.

Where Do Media Draw the Line on Ethics During Revolutions?

Magda Abu-Fadil | Posted 12.27.2011

Magda Abu-Fadil

"Did TV networks overdo it by airing bloody scenes of Gaddafi's death?" The headline said it all in a lead article in the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat's media supplement Thursday.

Katherine Fung

Should The New York Times Have Fired This Man?

HuffingtonPost.com | Katherine Fung | Posted 10.08.2011

A trip to Jamaica turned Mike Albo's world upside down. In October 2009, Albo had an enviable gig, writing the New York Times' "Critical Shopper" c...

Deceit And Hidden Cameras In The Abortion Debate

Christine A. Scheller | Posted 05.25.2011

Christine A. Scheller

As a Christian, a pro-lifer and a journalist, I'm ambivalent about the Planned Parenthood hidden camera sting that was perpetrated in New Jersey and reported sporadically by news outlets last week.

Reuters Hit With Massive Internal Scandal

David Spencer Seconi | Posted 05.25.2011

David Spencer Seconi

It should be a given that those writing about corporations should not have any financial stake within them. A recent scandal at Reuters, however, shows how difficult it still is to monitor these unethical acts.

Five Lessons Big Media Won't Learn From Koran-Burning Fameseekers

Eric Deggans | Posted 05.25.2011

Eric Deggans

Like a wayward boyfriend who just can't stop playing the field, mainstream media outlets often wind up begging the audience for forgiveness when a particularly savvy or lucky charlatan turns their chase for attention-seeking stories against them.

Jason Linkins

Romney Got Assist On Book From Fortune's Nina Easton [UPDATE]

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

When former presidential contender Mitt Romney needed help communicating his ideas with the non-Cylons living in America in his latest book, he got an assist from Fortune magazine's Nina Easton.

Newspapers Turning Into A Glorified "Greensheet"

Jackson Williams | Posted 05.25.2011

Jackson Williams

A. H. Belo has just announced in an internal memo that some "section editors" (news editors) at all of the company's papers, will now report directly to the corporate team of "sales managers."

Fox Explains Why It Bought And Aired Teen Beating Death Footage

Fox Chicago | Carol Fowler | Posted 05.25.2011

No one thought this television report would be any different than the countless other similar stories, usually highlighted by grieving classmates and ...

Pictures of Minors Driving 60 mph and Texting? What is the NYT Thinking?

Blake Fleetwood | Posted 05.25.2011

Blake Fleetwood

Could the Times possibly have assigned the photographer to take a picture of minors engaging in what seems like incredibly risky behavior?

Torture is Not About "Winning the Afternoon," OK?

Will Bunch | Posted 05.25.2011

Will Bunch

The torture issue doesn't lend itself to cute little "up" and "down" arrows, to dueling cable shouters "on the right" and "on the left," to all the little devices we in the media use.

My Favorite Mistake: Helen Thomas Talks About The Mistakes She Could Never Make

Seema Kalia | Posted 11.17.2011

Seema Kalia

"My Favorite Mistake" is a new biweekly series in which writer Seema Kalia interviews various luminaries about the one mistake that taught them the mo...