Freedoms of the Press
Module 1, Activity 3.1, Introduction to Ethics
Student Page
(teacher version of this lesson)

Introduction:

The professional press is responsible for reporting the facts of a situation. Just as a doctor is responsible for diagnosing a sickness, a journalist is supposed to tell the public what people need to know to be informed decision makers. In this lesson, you discuss what journalism ethics are and participate choosing what to do in a difficult situation.

Task One - Freedom of the Press

This task will be completed using a method called "Think, Pair, Share".

• You will think about the statements on the right
• Move to your assigned partner and discuss what you think.
• Following your discussion with your partner, the teacher will select some students to share their opinions with the class.

Each of the statements on the right is a key idea that underlies journalistic codes of ethics. Your job is to figure out :

• Why is this statement important for journalists?
• How could it combine with the other statements?
• When would you not use this statement as a journalist?

Task Two - Talking Circle
As a group, you are responsible for negotiating a set of ethics for the practice of journalism in your class. You need to combine journalistic ethics with the practice of behavior that is appropriate for high school.

1. Choose something that the person who is talking will hold. Only the person holding the object or the teacher has the right to talk. A pen or marker might be a good choice.
2. As the pen is passed around the circle, you should suggest ideas for your class's Journalists Code of Ethics.
3. To be included in the code, each idea must be agreed to by the entire group.
4. If there is no complete agreement (consensus), the group must continue to discuss an idea until everyone rejects or accepts it.

Objectives:

You will be able to
- understand the rights and responsibilities of the press.
- understand the legal limitations on the media.
- understand the limitations that may be imposed on student journalists, depending on school policy.
- speak to share thoughts, opinions, and feelings.
- speak to clarify and extend thinking.

Resources:
- the handout of scenarios

Press Ethics Statements:

"We can only justify preventing freedom of speech if people are harmed" (John Mill's Harm Principle).

Never distort, fabricate or plagiarize.

"The only security of all is in a free press" (Thomas Jefferson).

You must act in the best interest of the public.

You should act the way you think others should act (Kant's Categorical Imperative).

You must not do harm.

"I may not believe in what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it" (Thomas Jefferson).

Do not invade privacy.

Task Two Continued. . .
Once you have consensus on a code of ethics, one student should use the talking circle object (your pen or marker) to make a poster of the code to hang in your classroom.

Task Three - Scenario Problem Solving
Choose one or two partners. With your partners, read each of the cases and decide what is the ethical choice to make. Use your Code of Ethics to make the choice whenever possible. Spend at least two minutes on each case, and be prepared to defend your response.

When everyone has completed discussing the cases, the teacher will call on groups to present their solutions to each problem. Be prepared to justify the choice your group made.