The Ethics of Journalism

by Belle Kim

During the last issue of Fused, I wrote a feature story covering the budget cuts that are taking place in the MCCSC. Aside from writing 2300 words on the topic, I also wished to include a section listing the names of teachers who had teaching experiences of five years or less at North, as they could potentially be affected by the change. To have access to the teachers’ seniority list, all I had to do was to fill out a form requesting to see public records and do with the information as I wish. Though many high school newspapers suffer from censorship and prior review, Bloomington High School North respects the First Amendment. Because the teacher’s seniority list was public information, I could just publish it in the newspaper.

I didn’t take that course of action at the advice of my newspaper adviser. The issue was a sensitive one involving the livelihood of others and deserved to be handled with care. If I just published the information without speaking to these teachers first, students and teachers alike may focus on whether or not I should have printed it instead of focusing on what the article was actually about. I thus went around the school for several hours to speak to teachers with 5 years or less experience, and asked permission to print their name, picture, and certification area. Some said yes, some said no. I respected their choices.

Through this experience, I learned that though the First Amendment does guarantee journalists rights from anything that abridges the freedom of press, we must also consider the ethics of journalism. When writing on an issue that involves the life of others, we must be extremely sensitive and recognize that just as we have the rights to present accurate information without persecution from the government, people have rights to privacy and safety. The goal of a journalist should be to pursue the truth in order to inform readers and help create positive change. Through this experience, I realized that creating controversy that involves the lives of real people is unnecessary and unethical.