ETHICS

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Ethics
Introduction
Interactions amongst people are controlled by the application of ethics and morals. Each society has a set of standards that people are expected to abide by at any one given time. Ethics enable people to live in peace for the betterment of the society. In addition, the various professions present bring about their own set of ethics and moral requirements commonly referred to as code of conduct. In the field of journalism, members are expected to carry out themselves in a particular way. This is to maintain the required standards of professionalism in the industry.
Chapter Six
Facts of the Case
The case involved Australian born Julian Assange. Julian was a self-styled whistleblower who revealed huge amounts of data about secret activities carried out by various governments. He started by releasing details about how hundreds of thousands of money were siphoned by former Kenyan president Daniel Moi. This was a corruption story that many media outlets would have wanted to publish. Moreover, Assange started releasing details of classified information about the activities of the United States government. For instance, he released footage that showed how the US military killed Iranian civilians as well as journalists contracted by Reuters. This was after the US government denied earlier allegations about the incident. Julian further worked with various international media outlets such as the Guardian, Der Spiegel and the New York Times to reveal and authenticate some of his allegations.

Issues as to how he obtained this information were raised after the arrest of Bradley Manning, accused of gaining access to classified information.
Key Issues
The case study raised several key issues. First, the issue of collaboration between media outlets and whistleblowers arose. Secondly, the issue of evaluation of the character of those people who purport to release sensitive information about governments and other institutions was identified.
Alternative Course of Action
Several issues were raised as a result of the actions of the concerned parties. It is the responsibility of the media to inform the people on issues beneficial to the society (Klausen 6). Julian Assange performed an excellent job in informing the world about the secret dealings that countries engaged in. He did this by acting alone and collaborating with the media. Alternatively, the media should not have relied on his accounts about issues. They should have started their independent research about the issues. Secondly, the media organizations should have vetted the character of Julian Assange before accepting him as an information source.
Evaluation of Alternatives
The alternatives listed above would have provided the media organizations better sources of information other than relying on account of one person. The alternative of independent research organized by the media outlets regarding the alleged issue is important. Independent investigations funded by non-partisan media outlets lead to better revelations as opposed to revelations from a single person. The combination of many people in gathering the information gives it more authenticity. The second alternative involved the vetting of the source of information. The media is responsible for providing true information other than false information. In this case, it is important for the media to vet the people who act as sources of information. Some malicious people may provide falsified information about a certain issue.
Recommendation
The alternatives explained above provide a better source of information for the media. However, I would recommend the implementation of the alternative requiring commissioning of independent research about the alleged issue. This alternative provides all parties involved in the issue an opportunity to be heard. The instances of falsified information will be avoided, therefore improving the reputation of media outlets.
Chapter Seven
Facts of the Case
The case involves an entertainment organization referred to as Netflix. Reed Hastings and his friend Marc Randolph founded the company in 1997. The company rented subscribers DVDs depending on the amount of subscription paid by the customer. The company did not penalize the customers for late subscription as was common by other companies. The company used mail services to supply the customers with the DVDs, unlike its competitors who operated stores. The company became public in 2002 thereby expanding its reach in the US and Canada. They introduced a website whereby films and television shows were predicted based on their popularity by the customers. Later, Netflix introduced online streaming whereby subscribers would watch and download movies and television shows through their gadgets such as TVs, mobile phones, and computers. The company registered about 23 million subscribers by the year 2011. Due to the growth of the firm, the management decided to divide it into two tiers where the customers would choose between the two packages. Customers were not happy about the abrupt change of the terms leading to widespread unsubsription. Later, the company heeded the pressure of the people and reverted to the previous terms leading to the increase of subscriptions again.
Key Issues
The issues that arose due to the facts of the case involved the company. The first issue was the role of customers when changing the operations of a company. The second issue was the role of the media in informing the people about the changes that had taken place in the company.
Alternative Course of Action
There were several alternatives Netflix would have used in order to avoid the problem that came up due to the change of its’ operations. The company had millions of subscribers when it decided to divide its operations. Though the idea might have been good for the sake of the growth of the business, it was not well evaluated. The first alternative involved collecting the views of the customers before changing the operations of the business. The second the company should have engaged the media to educate the masses about the expected changes. Being part of the media fraternity albeit in the entertainment field, the company was expected to perform better in such a case.
Evaluation of Alternatives
The alternatives listed above would have been implemented in order to help the business. The involvement of the customers is an important element in the success of organizations (Nilashi 60). Without the customers, businesses cannot grow. The first alternative involved the inclusiveness of the subscribers when making important decisions that directly affected them. This alternative involved the company taking into consideration the views of its customers. The views would have been collected through online surveys as well as through emails. This would have enabled the company to understand the dynamics of the market before enforcing any change. The second alternative involved the involvement of the media in educating the public. It is not possible to carry out education about such a change physically. Therefore, Netflix should have acquired the services of other media outlets to inform the customers about the changes. This would have provided the company a window period to sort out any issue that the customers would have raised.
Recommendation
Based on the evaluation above, I would recommend the company to embrace the alternative that requires consideration of customer views before enforcing new changes. It would be unethical for any company to arbitrary change terms of engagement with its customers without consultation. Consultation helps in reducing suits due to a breach of contracts. Moreover, it increases the confidence customers have in a company and its products.
Chapter Eight
Facts of the Case
The case study involved the manipulation of photos by a journalist before newspapers published them. The pictures involved were those collected during the Iraq war in 2003. The photographers availed hundreds of photos, and it was the work of the editors to choose the best photo for the day. Colin Crawford edited several pictures until he came across one photo taken by Brian Walski. The photo depicted an American soldier standing with a rifle at hand and a group of Iraqi citizens sited on the ground next to the soldier. The photo was published by several media outlets such as the Times and Chicago Tribune. However, an employee of the Courant Newspaper noticed a problem with the photo. He noted that there was a duplication of the number of Iraqi citizens in the photo. He notified the photo editors who ran a 600 percent magnification. Initially, it was believed that the anomaly in the photo was because of technical hitches.
After further inquiry, it was discovered that Walski had used his personal computer to edit the photo using elements in two different photos to improve the composition of the photo. Walski admitted to having made the changes, and as a result, Crawford sacked him. Walski apologized for tarnishing the image of the Times. He also expressed his regrets about losing his job as well as unethical behavior on his part. It was revealed that Walski had initially claimed that nobody would touch him for involvement in such practices.
Key Issues
This case raised several issues that related to the operations in news outlets. The issue of publishing information that was not verified is identified in the case. Secondly, the issue of truthfulness by photojournalists was also raised due to the actions of Walski.
Alternatives to the Course of Action
There are few substitute courses of action, that the parties in the case study would have engaged. The media serves as an informant of the public (Kelly 40). Therefore, false reporting can have dire consequences for a country if false reporting about serious issues such as war is encouraged. First, the alternative of writing down a story related to the said photo would have been better. It is important to report what can be verified if an inquiry is launched. Secondly, the alternative of verification of the photos before publishing should have been considered.
Evaluation of Alternatives
The alternatives listed above can be evaluated in various ways in relation to this matter. The first alternative involves the publication of a story instead of publishing a photo to serve the same purpose or supplement the story. It is not mandatory for newspaper publishers to publish photos in order to send a message. Some stories can easily sell without the backing of a photo. In this circumstance, it would have been well if the newspapers chose another photo or none at all when publishing the story. The second alternative involves the verification of photos before publishing. Progress in know-how has led to the design of computer programs that can alter the composition of a picture to suit the interests of a person. Due to this reason, it was prudent for the photojournalists in the different media outlets involved to verify the photo before publishing it.
Recommendation
After carefully considering the two alternatives, I would recommend the implementation of the second alternative. Verification of information is an important ethical element in journalism that should be observed by all parties. Verification leads to the publication of true information at all times. The scandal that arose due to unethical behavior by the culpable journalist would have been avoided.
Chapter Nine
Facts of the Case
The case involved the actions of CNN, Fox News and a publisher identified as SCOTUSblog. The three media organizations were involved in the reporting of a decision by the United States Supreme Court concerning the constitutionality of an act of parliament relating to healthcare. SCOTUSblog covered the decisions made by the Supreme Court under permission from various authors. CNN and Fox News prepared themselves to break the story to the people in the best manner they thought. The media houses invested heavily to achieve this goal. The Supreme Court denied SCOTUSblog the rights to broadcast the decision to its customers. Alternatively, the court allowed only the people present in the courtroom as well as those logged in the court’s website to access the ruling. Unfortunately, the website crashed due to excessive demand for information from the site (Patterson and Lee 239). CNN and Fox News started reporting that the court had ruled the legislation as unconstitutional. This information spread all over the country quickly through social media and commentaries. However, one journalist identified as Goldstein who worked for SCOTUSblog was in the courtroom on that day. He skimmed through the decision and reported that the court had upheld the legislation. CNN and Fox News had to retract their stories in order to reflect the true nature of the ruling. This served as a severe disadvantage for the two media houses.
Issues Raised
The events that took place regarding this case study raised several issues. First, the issue of what should be reported as breaking news by media outlets comes up. Secondly, the issue of competition by rival media outlets in the dissemination of information also comes up.
Alternative Course of Action
In a bid to ensure that the media outlets involved were responsible for their reporting, several alternatives would have been considered. The court’s decision was highly awaited by the public, which made it less of a big story for that day. First, the alternative of waiting for the correct account of information before reporting was necessary. Secondly, the alternative of not using the story as breaking news would also have worked well to quell the situation.
Evaluation of Alternatives
The alternatives listed above can be evaluated in various ways in order to be implemented successfully. The first alternative involves media outlets waiting for the correct information before rushing to broadcast to the people. It was not necessary for the two media houses to rush and broadcast false information to the people. It was unethical for both the management and employees of the affected organizations. They should have waited until the reporters in the courtrooms had gathered the necessary information. The second alternative involves the determination of what news should be regarded as breaking news. Under this alternative, the media should not have reported the news as breaking. This is because most people were waiting for the decision, which made it necessary to report what was true.
Recommendation
The two alternatives would have served as better ways of handling the situation. However, I would recommend the implementation of the alternative that advocated for patience before reporting news. This alternative would have led to the reporting of credible information thereby shielding the two organizations from the backlash that followed their actions.
Chapter Ten
Facts of the Case
The issue involves celebrities whose lives are always in public due to their fame. The case study looks at the life of Tom Cruise. Tom is one of the most famous actors in the world due to his involvement in the production of several blockbuster films. The films have had considerable success in the film market thereby making Cruise famous. The media has extensively reported about Tom’s relationship with Katie Holmes. Holmes was also an actor before and after being married to Tom. Paparazzi journalists photographed the couple severally. However, the couple was able to prevent the journalists from photographing their first child. Initially, Cruise had successfully shielded his children from his marriage with Nicole Kidman from being photographed until they attained two years. Tom and Katie divorced in 2012. The divorce was published widely, and the two interviewed about the issue. They were photographed on different occasion taking their child for holiday and the pictures posted on the internet.
Issues Raised
The case study raises several issues about the lives of celebrities and how the media reports’ about them. First, the issue of privacy of celebrities comes up. Secondly, the issue of what should be reported about an individual comes up.
Alternative Course of Action
Several alternatives can be used to tackle the issue of celebrity reporting. The first alternative is seeking permission from the celebrities before publishing stories about them. Secondly, the alternative of identifying the important stories about a celebrity and publishing them should be exploited.
Evaluation of Alternatives
The alternatives listed above can be evaluated in order to maintain ethics when reporting about the private lives of celebrities. In many countries, it is a constitutional right to have the privacy of a person respected (Miltgen and Dominique 107). The first alternative involves seeking permission from the affected party before reporting. This is important because journalist will only report what is verifiable due to the permission of the celebrity. In addition, the celebrity will not feel offended after the information is published. The second alternative involves the publication of the necessary, important information about a person. This will help in the maintenance of privacy. The information reported should not include the private life of the individual.
Recommendation
After analyzing the alternatives discussed above, I would recommend journalists to embrace the alternative that involves reporting important information only. This information should not include personal topics such as marriage and children. This will help in maintaining the required standards of journalism.
Conclusion
Ethics are important to the success of any person or organization. Ethics enable the people involved to co-exist peacefully through respect of the rules put in place to guide them. In the field of journalism, ethics are critical elements that cannot be taken for granted. It is very easy to find journalist appearing in court for defamation charges because of failing to follow the ethical code set in place. All journalists should strive to maintain the required standards of the profession by abiding by the ethics and morals set out.
Works Cited
Kelly, B, S Vandevijvere, B Freeman, and G Jenkin. “New media but same old tricks: food marketing to children in the digital age.” Current obesity reports 4.1 (2015): 37-45.
Klausen, Jytte. “Tweeting the Jihad: Social media networks of Western foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 38.1 (2015): 1-22.
Miltgen, Caroline Lancelot, and Dominique Peyrat-Guillard. “Cultural and generational influences on privacy concerns: a qualitative study in seven European countries.” European Journal of Information Systems 23.2 (2014): 103-125.
Nilashi, M, O Ibrahim, M Zare, Mirabi V. Reza, and L Ebrahimi. “The role of Security, Design and Content factors on customer trust in mobile commerce.”Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 26 (2015): 57-69. Patterson, Philip, and Lee Wilkins. Media Ethics: Issues and Cases. New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. Print.