An Analysis of Quinn's 'Accepting Manipulation or Manipulating What's Acceptable?'

In 1960, American journalist and politician Clare Boothe Luce speaks to journalists at the Women’s National Press Club. She brings up the topic of integrity. Not only does integrity affect journalists, but also the media as a whole. From the beginning, she is straightforward with the audience, she is going to give them hell. She goes on to say that everyone in the audience will be revolted, but should listen through. This prepares the room full of female journalists to feel attacked by her criticisms of the American press. Luce argues that integrity needs to be restored in the media, to do this she appeals to their values while using a defensive tone along with a positive one, while also creating

“The Perfect Picture,” James Alexander Thom shares with the reader his personal experience with the media. James Alexander Thom was once a young reporter who was sent to get a story on a horrific event, but ended up changing his viewpoint due to the grandfather’s solicitude. In the story Mr. Thom claims that taking a picture and therefore capitalizing on one’s suffering would be beneficial for his career however it may be immoral.

Hunter S. Thompson was the man responsible for what is known today as gonzo journalism. This type of journalism is written in the first-person narrative and places the reporter in the middle of the action, allowing for personal experiences, emotions, and biases in a way that defies traditional journalism. Thompson’s subversive style of journalism was so radical that according to Jennifer Marinelli’s (2010) post on the Michigan Online News Association, “Thompson didn’t just create a new form of journalism. He created a new way of thinking that is still important in today’s society” (para. 2). In other words, he didn’t just transform journalism; he transformed people’s minds. Perhaps this should not come as a surprise that such a man could

The job of a journalist has always been highly scrutinized. For years, the question of what and how a journalist should deliver information has been analyzed. However, despite the many theories, it has always been a clear consensus that journalists have an obligation to truth above all. However, there are many cases where a journalist may not know how far to go in order to deliver that truth. Of course, a journalist must always operate within legal limits, however, again some cases have blurred lines. A case that demonstrates these blurred lines between the legal and illegal, as well as the need to deliver truth, is a case between the Rolling Stone and their use of illegal music links.

A front-page article is devoted to a flawed story about a campus rape in the journal Rolling Stone, exposed in the leading academic journal of media critique. So severe is this departure from journalistic integrity that it is also the subject of the lead story in the business section, with a full inside page devoted to the continuation of the two reports. The shocked reports refer to several past crimes of the press: a few cases of fabrication, quickly exposed, and cases of plagiarism (“too numerous to list”). The specific crime of Rolling Stone is “lack of skepticism,” which is “in many ways the most insidious” of the three categories.

These are: truth, autonomy, and accountability. Ultimately, I will evaluate how these issues are impacting journalism, whether positively, negatively, or if they are merely a natural progression of systemic social, cultural, and technological factors. I will also consider subsequent ethical issues, before reflecting upon whether blogging and journalism can feasibly coexist and complement each

The issue of journalistic ethics is examined in Janet Malcolm’s work The Journalist and the Murderer. This work stresses the importance of exercising good moral and ethic judgment. Janet Malcolm is very direct in her opinion on this “standard procedure” journalist use on their subjects to write a story. “Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally in defensible.” For the sake of telling a good, profitable story, journalist will sometimes recreate their subject in order to make their work more interesting. Malcolm is clear in her book that this is unethical.

Journalists who work with sensitive topics constantly have tough moral decisions to make. Not only do they have to worry about the concrete actions they take, but they must also consider the fallout of their actions. To put it simply, they need to make teleological or deontological decisions. Teleological arguments consider the fallout of one’s actions, for better or for worse, while deontological are based on one’s duties and do not concern the effects of them. When dealing with this rape scenario, one where a high profile suspect raped a woman whose name was released by the press, both teleological and deontological arguments can be made.

One of most international well-known photographers, Steve McCurry Photoshop’s scandal has sparked widespread controversy in worldwide. People argue about whether Steve McCurry’s use of Photoshop in his work is ethical or not. In my point of view, McCurry’s action is ethical, because he is not a photojournalist. Also, photography is a kind of visual art, editing is a part of it. Moreover, editing photos is a tradition that people already accepted.

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is a common saying among people today. The famous photojournalist, Steve McCurry is known for his captivating photographs that essentially tell a story without words. Many pieces of his work include war photos or photos that were taken in dangerous situations. They include vibrant colors and controversial material. There has been recent discussion about McCurry’s work and use of Photoshop. It is said that some of his photos appear differently on his website than others. In my opinion, McCurry’s use of Photoshop is considered unethical. I feel this way because he is presenting his work as a photojournalist whilst altering the photos using Photoshop. The definition of photojournalism and what Steve McCurry presents as his photojournalism does not coincide. If he were a true photojournalist his photographs would consist of true and raw material.

The questions of honesty and ethicality begin when one starts thinking of direction for the article. Within the production process, there are many decisions that could affect the brand and reception of the magazine. Every possible decision carries weight and has the potential to possibly stir

In her popular translation of Dante’s Inferno, English writer Dorothy Sayers explains that Bolgia 9 in the eighth circle of hell is reserved for “sowers of discord,” those who are “ready to rip up the whole fabric of society to gratify a sectional egotism.” If Dante had assigned fraudulent journalists a place in hell—melodramatic as it is to think about—he probably would have put them in Bolgia 9. Any intentional inaccuracy in a story is a betrayal of the public’s trust and is inexcusable for a professional whose job it is to report the truth; as Walter Lippmann once affirmed, “There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil.” But just as Dante recognized in concocting his orderly progression of torment that there are shades of wrongness, so too are some fraudulent stories are more deserving of condemnation than others. Below, I will examine five cases of journalistic dishonesty— Janet Cooke’s “Jimmy’s World” in The Washington Post (“The Post”), Jayson Blair’s reporting for The New York Times (“The Times”), Mike Daisey’s feature on This American Life (“TAL”), Sabrina Erdely’s “A Rape on Campus” in Rolling Stone Magazine (Rolling Stone), and Stephen Glass’s stories for The New Republic— and argue that the offences in each vary in pervasiveness, level of duplicity, and impact on society. I will then scrutinize the responses of each publisher, evaluating the timeliness and approach of each.

4. Avoid political, civic and business involvements or other employment that compromise or give the appearance of compromising one's own journalistic independence. 5. Strive to be unobtrusive and humble in dealing with subjects. 6. Respect the integrity of the photographic moment. 7. Strive by example and influence to maintain the spirit and high standards expressed in this code. When confronted with situations in which the proper action is not clear, seek the counsel of those who exhibit the highest standards of the profession. Visual journalists should continuously study their craft and the ethics that guide it” (nppa.org). Journalist such as Nora Ephron, for example, vote in favor of showing these grisly images defending that while printing these pictures may raise issues of taste and sensationalism, the truth is that these things are happening. In her piece, “The Boston Photographs,” she states that “Death happens to be one of life’s main events. And it is irresponsible—and more than that, inaccurate—for newspapers to fail to show it, or to show it only when an astonishing set of photos comes in over the Associated Press wire” (613). I agree with her to a certain degree. I feel like people need to see specific things. For example, those that insist on drinking and driving need to see the ghastly images of automobile accidents gone awry and the people that were put to rest due to someone

The book, The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media, written by Brooke Gladstone is a graphic novel that tries to decipher the rapidly changing media business and the way people interact with it. It traces the origins of modern journalism back to the Mayans and walks through the journalistic roots in the cultures of ancient Rome, Britain, and Revolutionary and early America. The book then dives into contemporary media condition. The media has become something that we love and hate at the same time. “Everything we hate about the media today was present at its creation: its corruption or

In addition, the media is in an especially complex situation regarding the current concept of privacy regarding the proper use of technology and due to the numerous ethical issues, that arise from sensationalist media practices. First, the invasion of privacy can be justified by uncovering vital information that serves public interest to be considered ethical journalistic practice (Plaisance, 2014, p. 187). However, while there is less ethical merit in providing the public with the information it “wants” to know, it is justifiable under business matters if it is not malicious or extremely invasive. It is a journalist’s duty to reveal the truth to the public and keep them informed, but many would consider it unethical