Chapter 3: Reporters and Sources
This chapter centers on the importance of sources for quality reporting. Sources continue to be indispensable for journalism, and the ethical use of sources is an ongoing challenge. This chapter chooses four entangled aspects of the reporter–source relationship. The first case, on data mining and artificial intelligence, illustrates the enormous difficulties in getting reliable information from the emerging technologies. In the second case, the debate revolves around the use of stolen materials. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s investigation of Chiquita Brands is a classic in journalism ethics and provides an opportunity to examine Kant’s restrictions against theft and lying. The third case, on Reporters Without Borders, concerns the question of taking seriously the least advantaged as sources. The fourth case is about the New York Times’ s use of sources in the investigation of Harvey Weinstein story and the ethical obligations to vulnerable sources. The fifth case, on international news coverage of Darfur, deals with the problem of choosing sources that fit national, institutional, or personal interests.
Chapter 3 – Video Introduction
Case 11
Discussion Questions
- How can Aristotle’s idea of the “middle state” be applied to dealing with generated or automated news?
- What examples of data-driven journalism can you think of?
- What are the benefits and downsides of using data mining-enabled crowdsourcing and algorithms in journalism?
Weblinks
- European Journalism Center: “Data Journalism Handbook”
- World Health Organization calls for “safe and ethical” approach to AI
Case 12
Discussion Questions
- Good intentions: Do you agree with Gallagher’s sister’s perspective?
- Could there have been another way to approach the Chiquitia articles, or was this the only way?
- When does withholding information cross the line into manipulation of purposefully misleading someone?
Weblinks
- https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-chiquita-phone-hacking-scandal
- Al Jazeera: “Between Life and Law” documentary about chiquita
Case 13
Discussion Questions
- What can reporters in countries with higher levels of press freedom do to assist news organizations in countries without press freedoms?
- How does the Veil of Ignorance apply to the RWB’s mission, and how might it be implemented in its work?
Weblinks
- Reporters without Borders website
- World Press Freedom Index
Case 14
Discussion Questions
- The reporters who broke the story for the New York Times practiced the ethics of other-regarding care in briefing sources about when they had to contact Weinstein about the allegations. Are there other examples of times when other-regarding care was used in reporting on high-profile, and highly personal articles like this?
- When does the ethical principal of other-regarding care cross the line into a “conflict of interest”?
- Discuss why the reporters did not use anonymous sources, and when do you think using unnamed sources become a better option.
Weblinks
- “She Said” Trailer, Universal Pictures
- New York Times review of the movie
- Harvey Weinstein Documentary, PBS Frontline:
Case 15
Discussion Questions
- Is it the moral obligation of a news organization to expose audiences to atrocities like the crisis in Darfur, even when the assumption is that American audiences do not have a vested interest in the region?
- At what level does the responsibility of exposing these horrors fall on?
Weblinks
- Understanding the War in Darfur, Ohio State University
- Council on Foreign Relations, “Sudan’s Darfur Genocide”
- Al Bashir Case, International Criminal Court