Nothing sparks the anger of readers and viewers more than when they believe we are telling only one side of a story or getting it wrong. They scold us for invading someone’s privacy or having conflicts of interest that get in the way of our news gathering. They hold us accountable when we sensationalize human suffering or take advantage of vulnerable sources.

It falls to us, the media professionals, to get it right and gain public trust whether it is in Istanbul, London or Washington, D.C. Doing ethics can help us accomplish the goals of accuracy and fairness wherever we practice our craft. Journalists need to learn how to make decisions and how to try – even if we don’t always succeed – to present fair and accurate news coverage to our audiences.

The tricky thing about ethics is that there is no right or wrong answer. There is a great deal of latitude in the gray area between what we know is right and what we know is wrong, and that’s where ethical dilemmas live. Even if there’s a right answer, it may not be the answer you would choose under a different set of circumstances. Throughout this course, you will be presented with a series of case studies and asked to make decisions on the appropriate answer – the appropriate answer for you, given the ethical boundaries and decision-making skills we will discuss. By the end of this guide to ethics in journalism, you should:

• Appreciate need for ethics in journalism: Why should we care?
• Understand international values and standards of ethics in journalism.
• Have a grasp of decision-making models, ethics checklists and codes of ethics.
• Practice decision-making using case studies from around the world.
• Be able to develop standards for newsroom decision making.
• Justify your decisions and discuss consequences.

Here are some useful sites on journalistic ethics that you may want to refer to as we work through this course:

American Society of News Editors
ASNE List of Ethics Codes
Associated Press Managing Editors
Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
Ethic Net (European journalism codes of ethics)
Institute for Global Ethics
International Center for Journalists
International Federation of Journalists
Investigative Reporters and Editors
National Press Photographers Association
Organization of News Ombudsmen
Poynter Institute for Media Studies
Project for Excellence in Journalism Ethics Codes
Public Radio News Directors
Radio Television Digital News Association
Society for News Design
Society of Professional Journalists
SPJ Code of Ethics
The Journalist’s Toolbox
Turkish Press Council