BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Ethics and Legal Principles 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A news outlet publishes a story identifying a juvenile suspect in a violent crime. This practice is ethically problematic primarily because:
- Juveniles cannot be newsworthy by law
- It may cause lasting harm to a minor whose identity is legally protected in court proceedings (Correct answer)
- The story lacks multiple sources
- It conflicts with copyright law
Correct answer: It may cause lasting harm to a minor whose identity is legally protected in court proceedings
Publishing juvenile suspects' identities can cause irreversible harm and conflicts with legal protections designed to shield minors from public stigma.
Question 2: The legal term 'false light' in the context of privacy torts refers to:
- Publishing a false statement of fact that damages reputation
- Portraying someone in a misleading way that a reasonable person would find offensive (Correct answer)
- Disclosing embarrassing private facts
- Intruding on someone's physical solitude
Correct answer: Portraying someone in a misleading way that a reasonable person would find offensive
False light occurs when published information creates a misleading impression about a person, even if technically accurate, that a reasonable person would find objectionable.
Question 3: Which of the following is a legitimate ethical justification for a journalist to use deception in newsgathering?
- The story is interesting and will attract large audiences
- The information is vital to public interest and cannot be obtained through any other means (Correct answer)
- The editor has approved the deception
- Deception is never ethically justified in journalism
Correct answer: The information is vital to public interest and cannot be obtained through any other means
Most ethics codes permit deception only as a last resort when the information is critically important to the public and no other reporting method is available.
Question 4: A public figure suing a media company for defamation must prove which element that a private figure does not?
- That the statement was published
- That the defendant acted with actual malice (Correct answer)
- That the statement caused reputational harm
- That the statement was false
Correct answer: That the defendant acted with actual malice
Public figures must prove actual malice—knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for truth—while private figures generally need only show negligence.
Question 5: A journalist embedded with military forces is told by commanders not to report on troop movements for security reasons. This represents a conflict between press freedom and:
- The First Amendment's establishment clause
- National security and operational security (OPSEC) concerns (Correct answer)
- The journalist's editorial independence from advertisers
- Copyright ownership of military footage
Correct answer: National security and operational security (OPSEC) concerns
Embedded journalists often agree to ground rules restricting certain information to prevent endangering military operations and personnel.
Question 6: The ethical principle of 'independence' in journalism primarily means:
- Working without an editor's supervision
- Avoiding conflicts of interest and resisting pressure from advertisers, government, or sources (Correct answer)
- Publishing stories without corroboration
- Operating as a freelance journalist rather than for a news organization
Correct answer: Avoiding conflicts of interest and resisting pressure from advertisers, government, or sources
Editorial independence requires journalists to report without undue influence from commercial, political, or personal interests.
Question 7: When a newspaper publishes a photo taken by a staff photographer, who typically holds the copyright?
- The photographer personally
- The newspaper as the employer under the work-for-hire doctrine (Correct answer)
- The subjects photographed
- No one, since news photos are automatically public domain
Correct answer: The newspaper as the employer under the work-for-hire doctrine
Under the work-for-hire doctrine, creative works produced by employees within the scope of employment are owned by the employer.
BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Ethics and Legal Principles 3
A news outlet publishes a story identifying a juvenile suspect in a violent crime.
This practice is ethically problematic primarily because: