Jessica Birthisel | April 25, 2010
 |
| Photo by Jessica Birthisel |
| Associate professor Dave Boeyink presented his book on journalism ethics cases to an audience at the Poynter Center at IU last week. The book looks at how newsroom staffs make ethical decisions and shape policy. |
“So, why another textbook on journalism ethics?” he jokingly asked the crowd gathered at the Poynter Center’s spring roundtable on Wednesday. “Perhaps like every other textbook author in history, we think we are offering something different.”
Before he could explain what sets apart his and co-author Sandra L. Borden’s new book, Making Hard Choices in Journalism Ethics: Cases and Practice, published this spring by Routledge, he had to first describe the basic formula for a journalism ethics book.
Following an introduction and a chapter on ethical theory, a textbook’s subsequent chapters usually contain a discussion of a topic, followed by brief cases to which ethical norms are applied.
“This is a top-down methodology,” said Boeyink of the theory first, cases second model, a model he said he did not observe during his time researching how newsroom staffs handle ethical problems. “This is not the way journalists resolve ethical cases at all. The truth is, journalists don’t begin with statements of ethical norms. They begin with a problem that needs to be solved, and solved quickly.”
Some types of ethical problems featured in the book include the naming of rape victims, running embarrassing or indignant photos and gift policies for journalists.
But Boeyink and Borden (PhD ’97), now a professor at Western Michigan University, were interested in the process more than the problem. They found that once journalists identify an ethical problem in the newsroom, their first step is getting the facts straight. Next, they make references or appeals to cases everyone agrees upon (what he called “paradigm cases”) or they give precedence to how they handled similar cases or appeals in the past. Often those decisions become guidelines, sometimes even making their way into a policy manual.
Based on these newsroom observations, Boeyink and Borden developed what they call a bottom-up approach to discussing journalism ethics.
“The critical difference is instead of using cases as a test of the ethical principles…the cases were the starting point,” explained Boeyink.
Another thing that sets this book apart from previous texts on journalism ethics is the use of more complex cases, he said. The typical case study for a journalism ethics problem usually is only one or two pages.
“As if the cases on which we really need help are relatively simple,” said Boeyink, who cites one case study in the book that is 15 pages long. “What you find when you go to the newsroom are very complex situations.”
Boeyink has studied both newsrooms and ethical cases during his career, which includes newspaper journalism and research and teaching for more than 20 years at the School of Journalism. He helped create one of the School of Journalism’s most heavily-trafficked Web components, Journalism Cases Online. The site, which Boeyink said grew out of a series of cases developed by former (Louisville) Courier-Journal publisher Barry Bingham Jr. for his journalism ethics newsletter FineLine, features dozens of ethical cases on a host of topics and is designed to support student, instructor and professional journalists’ quests for information on ethical issues.
Poynter Center director Richard Miller pointed out in his introductory remarks that this style of Boeyink and Borden’s book sets it apart from other journalism ethics texts.
“One of the unique features of the book is that it is intentionally pedagogical,” said Miller.
As Boeyink explained it, the methodology, not the theory or the issues, is the organizing principle of the book. Additionally, the theory is actually defined by the cases and the context.
He said he and Borden liken the text’s methodology to “CSI for journalists.” Readers first learn to case the scene for relevant details and facts, then classify the case, compare the case with similar cases, develop provisional guidelines to help in similar cases, and finally link the case and guidelines to ethical norms relevant to the case.
One example from the book that showcases this methodology revolves around the photo of a fatal wreck in the The (Bloomington) Herald-Times. The chapter opens with the story details, including the fact that the family of the victim asked the paper not to run a photo of the wreck. The situation brought up two ethical paradigms: guarding professional discretion (or, not letting the public influence editorial decisions) and respecting survivor privacy. The chapter follows the staff of the paper as they gather facts on the case, search the newsroom archives for precedents and consider context-based decisions. Then, the authors compare the situation’s use of case-based theory to other cases mentioned in the book.
Though he argues that the book offers something different for the study of journalism ethics, Boeyink did not dismiss other techniques for teaching and applying the content.
 |
| Photo by Jessica Birthisel |
| Making Hard Choices in Journalism Ethics: Cases and Practice was published this spring by Routledge. Boeyink also helped bring about one of the school Web site's most heavily-trafficked areas, Journalism Ethics Cases Online. |
Boeyink said although he and Borden originally pitched two books to Routledge (one academic book and one textbook), Routledge only pursued the textbook.
“Even though they only wanted the textbook, I’m glad the textbook has been shaped by my research in the actual practice of journalists,” said Boeyink. “My hope is that this will make the book useful in making young journalists better decision-makers.”
In his remarks, Boeyink also thanked his colleagues at the Poynter Center, an institution of which he’s been a part since 1987, his first year at IU, when he was asked to join a faculty colloquium on ethics. He said he’s grateful for the support of the center and its staff.
“The best scholarship, the best teaching, the best life, is lived with and through others,” he said.
Questions? Comments? Email the Web editor.
