Journalistic ethics question:

[Robb]

This sucker sank like a stone in GD, so let's see what you folks think. :)

Here's the gist of it:

A friend of mine ( :eyes: ) was sitting in a sparsely attended (read: empty) government meeting, and heard illegal activity discussed.

Not someone's-going-to-jail illegal, but fundamentally the governing body running the meeting was planning to out-step a different, bigger body on a policy matter.

Let me know if I'm being too specific. :D

Anyhow.

My friend knows what they're planning/plotting is illegal; they know it too. The trouble is, the bigger governing body is being, in his opinion, rather unfair about the whole thing. And, my friend knows that if this little plot works out, his community will be better off.

Still, illegal, tho'.

Does he report on it, and get the smaller governing body in trouble? Or does he sit on it, for the sake of his community? :shrug:

[Spinzonner]

1. Third Option

Let the plotters know the have been observed and suggest they shouldnt engage in illegal activities or will be reported on.

[punpirate]

2. If he's supposed to report on the meeting...

... he should report on the meeting, rather than second-guessing the results.

If it's illegal, someone else will find out, and that will undo what the smaller body is attempting. A court cannot find in favor of the smaller body's actions if they are rooted in an illegality--that taints everything it will attempt, however well-intended--so the end result is that what they are planning will not come to pass, anyway (as soon as the larger governmental body finds out).

It's in everyone's best interest that the meeting be reported on as it occurred--with the necessary context supplied. Might save the smaller body's taxpayers considerable legal fees, too.

Cheers.

[AverageJoe]

3. If your friend is a journalist, ethically he is responsible for:

1. Seeking the truth and reporting it
2. Minimizing harm
3. Remaining independent
4. Being publically accountable

You'll probably notice that these four elements don't rest easy with one another. Ethical journalism is a real balancing act.

The trick is to weight them in order, 1 through 4. That is, the primary responsibility of the journalist is to seek the truth and report it.

If your friend is a reporter and he fails to write this story, he's letting his readers down. That's how you lose credibility. Just look at how we all disdain the MSM because they've failed to report the bad things about * -- up until now, anyway. They threw away their ethics and, with them, their credibility. It's awfully hard to get it back once it's gone.

My advice to your friend is this: Write the story.

[Spinzonner]

4. That's not a universal, constant scale

In some cases, minimizing or eliminating harm might easily outweigh any other.

What about having prior knowledge of a significant terrorist attack, for one.

[AverageJoe]

9. Indeed, you have to use judgement

Ethics are all about gray areas and judgement, of course. These four elements are the basis of the ethical code of the Society of Professional Journalist and, ideally, are used to help journalists nuance out correct professional behavior. Different circumstances call for different applications, of course. But the main purpose of a journalist is always to seek the truth and report it.

[WCGreen]

5. Ethics, your talking Ethics,,,,,,

There's no ethics in Journalism anymore....

Didn't you get the memo?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

6. It's about time a journalist sided with the community.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Blackmail is the only reasonable, cost-effective option

:evilgrin:

[Robb]

10. Finally

...someone's thinking with a clear head! :D

[Maddy McCall]

8. Ethically, he's responsible to report it to the Attorney General...

if this governing body is a city or county board.