The Journalist's Moral Compass: Basic Principles

Front Cover
Steven Knowlton, Patrick Parsons
Bloomsbury Academic, 1994 - 246 pages
What basic ethical principles should guide American journalists to help them justify their invasion of an individual's privacy, to be objective in their reporting, to avoid being influenced by government or economic controls? A wire service and newsroom veteran and a sociologist and scholar in mass media/communications have designed a philosophical guide for students, scholars, and practitioners to use as a kind of moral compass. Key excerpts from some of the most important writings on the subject from Milton to Louis Brandeis, from Plato to Sissela Bok, and from Adam Smith to John Merrill deal with some of the most serious contemporary issues in journalism today. This short text also includes the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics and a full index.

From inside the book

 

Contents

Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis
8
Thomas Hobbes
21
Cato John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon
48
Copyright

19 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

The Journalist's Moral Compass: Basic Principles
Steven Knowlton,Patrick Parsons
No preview available - 1994
The Journalist's Moral Compass: Basic Principles
Steven Knowlton,Patrick Parsons
No preview available - 1995

Common terms and phrases

A.J. Liebling advertising American argued argument become believe broadcast capital capitalist Cato's letters century Chapter citizens civil Commission common commonwealth condition corporations coverage criticism danger democracy democratic discussion doctrine duty economic editors ethical evil existence fact force free press Freedom of Speech H.L. Mencken hath Hearst human ideas important individual industry interest issue John Locke Joseph Pulitzer journalism journalists judgment knowledge labour law of nature legislative libel libertarian liberty Lippmann live magazines mankind mass communication mass media means mind monopoly moral muckrakers nation never newspaper newspaper circulation objectivity opinion paper person philosophy Plato political preservation principles problem production protection pseudo-events published punishment question reason relations of production reporters Rupert Murdoch social responsibility society staffer story television theory things thought Tom Allen Tom Scott true truth women writing York

References to this book

About the author (1994)

Steven R. Knowlton, assistant professor of journalism at Pennsylvania State University with a PhD in history, worked for more than twenty years as a reporter and editor for six different newspapers around the country and for United Press International and as a press aide on a presidential campaign. His most recent book is Popular Politics and the Irish Catholic Church (1991).

Patrick R. Parsons is associate professor of communications at Pennsylvania State University with his doctoral degree in journalism and mass communications. His recent publications include Milestones in Cable Television USA (1990) and Cable Television and the First Amendment (1987). He has written at length on ethical issues for journalists and on their roles in society.

Bibliographic information

TitleThe Journalist's Moral Compass: Basic Principles
EditorsSteven Knowlton, Patrick Parsons
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherBloomsbury Academic, 1994
Original fromthe University of Michigan
Digitized28 Feb 2008
ISBN0275945375, 9780275945374
Length246 pages
  
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