My ethical guideline
After going over my post about the journalistic ethics of going undercover or misrepresenting oneself to get a story, I thought I would really quickly explain my ethical guideline.
(Don’t worry, it won’t take up as much a space as you think.)
When I was in journalism school, one of my favourite instructors and mentors put the issue of journalism ethics into a simple question — not an easy thing to do considering I spent an entire term in a class specifically on journalism ethics. The question was this:
Would you tell your spouse/parent/child/friend/relative what you did to get a story?
I ask that question whenever there is an ethical dilemma. If the answer is yes, I forge ahead. If the answer is no, I look for another way to get the story.
There you go.
