BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Ethics and Legal Principles 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A journalist receives a leaked classified government document revealing waste of public funds. Publishing it is most directly governed by ethical tension between:
- Accuracy and attribution standards
- The public's right to know versus potential harm from unauthorized disclosure (Correct answer)
- Copyright law and the work-for-hire doctrine
- Shield laws and confidentiality agreements
Correct answer: The public's right to know versus potential harm from unauthorized disclosure
Publishing leaked classified information requires weighing the public benefit of transparency against risks of harm to national security or individuals.
Question 2: Which of the following actions would most likely constitute a conflict of interest for a business reporter?
- Owning shares in a publicly traded company they regularly cover (Correct answer)
- Using multiple anonymous sources in a single story
- Quoting a competitor's analyst in an article
- Writing a critical review of a product they have never used
Correct answer: Owning shares in a publicly traded company they regularly cover
Owning stock in a company one covers creates a financial stake in the company's performance, compromising the appearance and reality of objectivity.
Question 3: Under the First Amendment, which type of prior restraint on the press has the Supreme Court held is permissible?
- Preventing publication of embarrassing information about government officials
- Preventing publication of troop movements during wartime when the harm is direct and immediate (Correct answer)
- Stopping publication of defamatory content before it is printed
- Blocking publication of leaked financial documents
Correct answer: Preventing publication of troop movements during wartime when the harm is direct and immediate
The Supreme Court has recognized that prior restraint may be justified in extremely narrow cases where publication would cause direct and immediate serious harm, such as revealing troop positions.
Question 4: A reporter writes a story claiming a restaurateur 'probably' committed health code violations based on anonymous tips alone. The restaurateur sues for defamation. The reporter's weakest defense is likely:
- The statement was clearly labeled as opinion
- The story was based on single-source anonymous tips without verification (Correct answer)
- The restaurateur is a limited-purpose public figure
- The publication added a correction
Correct answer: The story was based on single-source anonymous tips without verification
Relying solely on unverified anonymous tips to publish a damaging claim demonstrates reckless disregard for the truth, undermining a falsity defense.
Question 5: The ethical concept of 'gatekeeping' in journalism refers to:
- Physically restricting journalist access to events
- The process by which editors and journalists select which stories and information reach the public (Correct answer)
- Legal restrictions on what news organizations may publish
- The use of paywalls to control access to content
Correct answer: The process by which editors and journalists select which stories and information reach the public
Gatekeeping describes the editorial decision-making process that determines which events become news and how they are framed for audiences.
Question 6: Which of the following best defines 'intrusion' as a privacy tort relevant to journalism?
- Publishing embarrassing true facts about a person's private life
- Unauthorized physical or electronic invasion of a person's private space to gather information (Correct answer)
- Creating a false impression about a person through selective facts
- Misappropriating a person's name or likeness for commercial purposes
Correct answer: Unauthorized physical or electronic invasion of a person's private space to gather information
Intrusion involves invading someone's private space or affairs without consent, such as trespassing or using surveillance devices illegally.
Question 7: A journalist is offered an all-expenses-paid trip by a tourism board in exchange for writing positive travel articles. Accepting this offer primarily violates which journalistic principle?
- Accuracy
- Independence (Correct answer)
- Accountability
- Transparency
Correct answer: Independence
Accepting gifts or sponsored trips creates a financial obligation that compromises a journalist's ability to report independently and without favor.
BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Ethics and Legal Principles 4
A journalist receives a leaked classified government document revealing waste of public funds.
Publishing it is most directly governed by ethical tension between: