The Ethics of Television Journalism

SYLLABUS

Journalism 373

The Ethics of Television Journalism

four units

Is it unethical or merely good journalism for news media to lavish more coverage on perceived frontrunners than on other candidates?

This season’s crescendoing drum roll of GOP candidate debates means the presidential election looms ever closer, throwing a bright light on news media and the fairness—or unfairness—of their coverage, including a laser of attention on Herman Cain’s alleged sexual escapades. That will make Journalism 373 especially relevant in 2012.

Also, let’s not forget the Brits, whose tabloids stand accused of shameful computer- and phone-hacking excesses that violate the privacy of citizens.

Or our friends in local news, where self-promotion remains the DNA. To say nothing of CNN, where star anchor Anderson Cooper’s biggest story is inevitably…Anderson Cooper.

Ethics? Uh…never heard of ‘em.

Instructor:

Howard Rosenberg, former television critic for the Los Angeles Times. And speaking of ethics, I was no angel.

While in graduate school, I was editor of the weekly White Bear Press near St. Paul, Minn., starting my meteoric rise by engaging in such unethical practices as running editorials and news stories written by others without attribution—that’s plagiarism, by the way—and promising news stories about local businesses (free advertisements, in other words) if those businesses would buy ads. Talk about having no clue about ethics.

And that’s not all.

At the urging of my publisher, I stole professionally written local stories from the St. Paul Pioneer Press and ran them in my paper with a new top. And it was these clippings—that I swiped from large daily paper—that earned me my first job on a daily paper, at the Moline (Ill.) Dispatch.

Absolutely unethical.

Two years later, I moved on to the Louisville (Ky.) Times, covering politics and government, ultimately being named TV critic there before joining the Los Angeles Times in that capacity in 1978 and becoming fabulously famous and successful during the next 25 years.

And by the way, self-promotion and making yourself the story—as I have done here—is also unethical.

Course Description and Purpose:

This course—meeting 2-5:20 p.m. Mondays in ASC 230—will introduce ethical issues arising from television (and print) journalism in the last 50-60 years, as well as the Internet. The major issue of whether news anchors should have their faces done, teeth whitened, and breasts enlarged or bodies liposuctioned will not be addressed. Nor will their inclination (locally) to trumpet “team coverage” and This just in!!!!!!” when reporting in 2012 that Ulysses S. Grant, the nation’s 18th president, is buried in Grant’s Tomb: “I’m live at the tomb where just 116 years ago…”

Come to think of it, aren’t such gimmicks or tricks—along with relentless advertising of LIVE!!!!—a form of theater, employed exclusively to snare viewers, and if so, unethical in themselves? So maybe we should ponder them after all. And we will!

Meanwhile, students (that’s you) will identify and evaluate the moral dilemmas found in television journalism (most of which apply also to print, radio and the internet) and use these ethical questions to prepare themselves for dealing with similar ethical issues in their personal, academic and eventual professional lives—even if you’re going to be a dentist.

In exploring specific decisions in the reporting of news events, and on what basis these decisions were made, students will be able to examine the ethical values of those who work in all areas of journalism and determine how the ethics of the profession dominate what events are covered and are not covered, how they are covered and why they are covered.

Why is this significant?

No. 1, because some or you undoubtedly will become television, radio, internet or print journalists.

No. 2, and more importantly, the way much of the media cover both the seminal and even inconsequential events of our time (often not distinguishing one from the other) influences the way the public perceives the world and the way we, as a society, think and behave. Evaluating journalists from an ethical perspective gives us a better framework in which to assess what they do and decide for ourselves if some or most of them are the Dishonest, Self-serving, Radical Left-wing Slugs whom their critics say they are.

Rarely are decisions made in ethical or moral vacuums. This class will examine processes by which decisions are made, and the impact of those decisions on the public. Thus, it will define the ethical mission of electronic, print and Internet journalists and determine if they are living up to the ethical ideal of doing the right thing for the right reasons.

What is the right thing? Good question. If you don’t have at least a vague idea by the end of the semester, then we’ll all be in trouble.

Are there absolutes? Not always. In that regard, gray areas and other ethical dilemmas will be explored as part of a discussion of when, if ever, the ends justify the means and of the moral implications of such decisions made by journalists. Meanwhile…

THIS JUST IN: NO TEXTING, TWEETING OR READING EMAILS DURING CLASS!!!!!!!

Required Reading:

Nope, no text, but you may be assigned mandatory readings that you will receive in class. These may be the basis for class discussions, and thus, to some degree, will impact your grades. In other words, READ THEM!

Grading:

1. Students will take one test and be assigned three papers. The test and first two papers, each about 850 words in length, will each be worth 20% of the course grade, for a total of 60%. The papers must be typewritten and double spaced. Papers that do not conform to this format will not—will not—be accepted. No exceptions. Late papers will be marked down one letter grade for each week of tardiness, the “week” starting immediately after class on the due date. For example, turn in a paper after 5:20 p.m. on the day it is due, and you’ll be judged a week late; you’re toast. No exceptions.

2. A third paper—at least 1,000 words in length and embracing all issues mentioned during the entire course—will count 40% of the grade.

3. Class participation—without me having to pry it from you. Although I don’t grade specifically for this, it can affect borderline grades, possibly elevating a “B-” to a “B,” for example, or lowering a “B” to a “B-” if you are mum the entire semester. So even if you’re timid or speak in a hillbilly dialect you prefer not sharing, it still will benefit you to speak up in class. Remember: Your insights and opinions are as valid as anyone else’s.

EXCEPT MINE!!!!!!!

(kidding)

Plagiarism:

It will not be tolerated. This does not mean that you cannot be influenced by the words and thoughts of others and distill them into a point of view or hypothesis that you express in your own words. That’s how the intellectual process works. But stealing word for word as I did in my callow years—or something even fairly close to it—is absolutely forbidden. Discoveries of plagiarism have damaged and even destroyed careers of journalists at major newspapers in recent years. A similar fate has befallen several noted scholars whose non-fiction books were found to have included chunks of unattributed material from other books.

Here is Annenberg’s policy on plagiarism and other bad behaviors:

“Any student found guilty of plagiarism, fabrication, cheating on examinations or purchasing papers or other assignments faces sanctions ranging from an F on the assignment to dismissal from the Schoo0l of Journalism.”

Academic Accommodations:

Students requesting special accommodations based on a disability must register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP). A letter of verification of approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP with adequate documentation. The letter must be delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office is in room 301 of the Student Union and the phone number is 213-740-0776.

Internships:

The value of professional internships as part of the overall educational experience of our students has long been recognized by the School of Journalism. Accordingly, while internships are not required for successful completion of this course, any student enrolled in this course who undertakes and completes an approved, non-paid internship during this semester shall earn academic extra credit herein of an amount equal to one percent of the total available semester points for this course.

To receive instructor approval, a student must request an internship letter from the Annenberg Career Development Office and bring it to the instructor to sign by the end of the third week of classes. The student must submit the signed letter to the media organization, along with the evaluation form provided by the Career Development Office. The form should be filled out by the intern supervisor and returned to the instructor at the end of the semester. No credit will be given if an evaluation form is not turned in to the instructor by the last day of class.

Note: The internship must be unpaid and can only be applied to one journalism class.

Class Attendance:

It’s mandatory!!!!!! Which means? You must attend class. Heed this:

Two unexcused absences will result in a single letter-grade deduction in the final grade. Three unexcused absences will result in a deduction of two letter grades, four unexcused absences a deduction of three letter grades—that is if you have any grade left from which to deduct. Five unexcused absences? You flunk the course, even if you’ve done “A” work.

Tardiness also will be judged harshly!!!!!! So be on time. Class begins at 2 p.m., not 2:06, 2:12, 2:30 or whenever you feel like breezing in. My commute is 40 miles—through the dangerous San Fernando Valley and other hostile terrain, no less. If I can be here on time, so can you. Job or activity conflicts are not valid excuses for tardiness. Nor are terrorist attacks. So…

If you are habitually late, your final course grade will be reduced a ½-letter grade.

Alternative class viewing assignments will not—hear this, will not—be made without evidence of a valid excuse for an absence. I am not easily moved by sob stories. I once had a student who missed assignments because her same sweet granny died during the semester—twice! Regarding illness, only a doctor’s note is valid evidence. Try your best to get one. You know, a doctor with a medical degree, not a note from Dr. Phil.

Office Hours:

I’ll be available (with some flexibility) 1-1:45 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. Mondays in SCA 332 (that’s the School of Cinematic Arts where I teach as well). I can be reached other times, daytime or nighttime, at my home, where I do keep an office along with a wife, two cats and a bird.

This Just In!!!!!! My phone number is 818-706-8583, my cell is 714-855-2241, my e-mail .

Do not be shy. Do not be inhibited. Do not be intimidated. Do not be terrified. All right, be a little terrified, but…I am always accessible to you.

I cannot stress this enough. I want to hear from you about anything you want to discuss, positive or negative. I am a very good listener. You will not be interrupting me. If you have a question or a worry or want to schmooze (but not snooze), call. If you want to bitch about something, that’s all right, too. We’ll talk it through—LIVE!!!!!!

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Week 1: Introduction, Jan. 9.

Review the syllabus and course requirements. Define news and schmooze about it in general, including some of the issues facing media today, from WikiLeaks to celebrity journalism and the emergence of Harvey Levine’s flashy and trashy TMZ as a major news source for mainstream journalism. I want to hear what you think. Define ethics and discuss why ethical behavior still matters in journalism even though the nature of media has changed dramatically. Discuss the corny old Golden Rule’s application to journalism ethics, the areas of ethical theory applicable to journalists and where personal and professional ethics intersect. When you think about it, these conundrums imitate life in general.

Discuss: (1) How the 1st Amendment justifiably provides a wide umbrella of protection for journalists. (2) When legal rights and ethical rights may be in conflict. Just because we have the legal right to do something, doesn’t necessarily mean we have the ethical right. Remember that. I will repeat it often. (3) A press that screws up is the price we pay for a press that’s free. I’d call that a bargain.

Screen true-life film“Shattered Glass.”

Week 2: No class, Jan. 16.

Week 3: The Blogosphere/Twittersphere, Jan. 23.

Jan. 23: The news business is changing dramatically, and as always technology is zooming ahead faster than our ability to harness and direct it. News and information are on such a swift track now—with speculation increasingly sold as news—that we, as a society, no longer have time to think. Hence, the danger of government and its citizens making knee-jerk decisions, based on erroneous information, that can have dire, even devastating consequences. In that regard, should the internet be guided by ethical standards that govern other media? I say yes. And what do you think about blogs—their significance and powers of persuasion?

Assignment: Write a 300-word blog about any topic you chose and in any format. But try to make it factual. Make copies for the rest of the class and me. Not to worry—these will not be graded.