WorksheetsExploring Media Ethics in Journalism
Total questions: 24
Worksheet time: 32mins
What is the primary reason journalists protect the confidentiality of their sources?
To increase newspaper sales
To ensure sources feel safe sharing information
To avoid writing retractions
To promote media bias
Which organization is commonly associated with setting ethical reporting standards for journalists in the United States?
The Associated Press
The Society of Professional Journalists
The Federal Reserve
The National Weather Service
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a breach of journalistic integrity?
Fact-checking all information before publishing
Fabricating quotes to make a story more interesting
Interviewing multiple sources for accuracy
Disclosing conflicts of interest
A journalist is covering a sensitive court case and is given access to sealed documents. What should the journalist consider before publishing information from these documents?
Whether the information is interesting to readers
The legal and ethical implications of publishing confidential material
How quickly they can publish the story
If the documents are easy to understand
A news outlet is accused of media bias. What is an effective strategy the outlet can use to address this concern?
Ignore the accusation
Increase transparency about editorial processes and diversify sources
Only publish positive news
Remove all opinion pieces
A journalist is reporting on a controversial issue and must decide which facts to include. What strategic approach should they use to ensure ethical reporting?
Select facts that support their personal opinion
Present all relevant facts, even those that challenge their perspective
Only use facts from anonymous sources
Exclude facts that might upset readers
A reporter is offered exclusive information in exchange for not reporting on a public official’s misconduct. What is the most ethical response?
Accept the offer to gain exclusive content
Refuse the offer and report the misconduct
Negotiate for more information
Ignore the situation
How should a journalist verify the credibility of information found on social media before including it in a news report?
Assume it is true if it has many likes
Cross-check the information with reliable sources and official statements
Use it without verification to be first to publish
Only use information from anonymous accounts
A news organization discovers that one of its published articles contains plagiarized content. What is the most ethical way to address this issue?
Quietly remove the article without explanation
Issue a public correction, credit the original source, and review editorial processes
Ignore the problem
Blame the original author
A journalist is asked to write a story that could potentially harm an individual’s reputation. What ethical considerations should guide their decision-making?
Whether the story will attract more readers
The accuracy, fairness, and necessity of the information for the public interest
The journalist’s personal feelings about the individual
The speed of publication
A reporter is pressured by their editor to slant a story in favor of a particular political party. What is the most ethical course of action for the reporter?
Follow the editor’s instructions to keep their job
Refuse to slant the story and report the pressure to a higher authority
Ignore the story altogether
Write the story without any sources
A sports club is offering you free gym use because of an article you wrote about them. Do you...?
...take the gift and go to the gym
...refuse politely
...ask for another free pass
...report the club for bribery
Which film critic and philosopher made cinematic ethics a more widely available study?
Stanley Cavell
Steve Carell
Stanley Tucci
Gucci Mane
Which of these is not typically studied in cinematic ethics?
The politics of cinematic representation
Expression of moral beliefs in a film
Narrative content featuring morally charged content
A filmmaker's favorite childhood film
Which theory presented by Aristotle says that virtue, in most cases, falls somewhere between the extremes?
Golden Hour
Golden Mean
Mean Girl Theory
Big Bang Theory
Which theory, presented by American John Rawls, says that minority viewpoints should be given the same consideration as widely accepted ones?
Symbiosis
Relativism
Egalitarianism
Utilitarianism
Under what circumstances would you identify a person who was arrested as a relative of a public figure, such as a local sports star or a CEO?
Should a reporter for a community newspaper write a story about a college administrator accused of assaulting a professor, even if the local college is the newspaper's largest sponsor? If not, why? If so, why (and how would you report the story)?
What is 'representation' in media, and why is it important? Can it be potentially used for less than savory reasons?
What are the opportunities and dangers presented by a society with a free press?
Name one way news media can positively impact a community, and what’s one way news media can negatively impact that same community? How can the latter be mitigated?
What role do you think comedy plays in society? How? Why? Examples?
A whistleblower who makes $15 an hour in a factory for a large corporation has come forward with damning information about the CEO and the corporation. In doing so, they have used profanity extensively and some phrases that could be considered racist and misogynistic. What are the ethical dilemmas involved in editing this story? How would you approach putting it together?
A local news anchor is married to a business owner now running for Congress. What steps could each take to avoid potential conflicts of interest? Should one or the other consider stepping down from either position?
