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  • Browse Ethics Case Studies
    • Aiding law enforcement
      • “Ad”mission of guilt
      • “Do I stop him?”
      • Fairness
      • Newspaper joins war against drugs
      • Have I got a deal for you!
      • Identifying what’s right
      • Is “Enough!” too much?
      • Issues of bench and bar
      • Knowing when to say “when!”
      • Stop! This is a warning…
      • Strange bedfellows
    • Being First
      • Foul play
      • Gambling with being first
      • Making the right ethical choice can mean winning by losing
      • Playing into a hoaxster’s hands
      • “They said it first”
    • Bottom-line decisions
      • Is it news, ad or informercial?
      • Letter to the editor
      • Games publishers play
      • An offer you can refuse
      • An oily gift horse
      • Public service . . . or “news-mercials”
    • Controversial photos
      • As life passes by
      • Letter to the editor
      • Bringing death close
      • A careless step, a rash of calls
      • Distortion of reality?
      • Of life and death
      • Naked came the rider
      • “A photo that had to be used”
      • A picture of controversy
    • Covering politics
      • Freedom of political expression
      • Brother, can you spare some time?
      • Columnist’s crusade OK with Seattle
      • Kiss and tell
      • The making of a govenor
      • Past but not over
      • Of publishers and politics
      • To tell the truth
      • Truth & Consequences
      • “Truth boxes”
      • When journalists become flacks
    • Getting the story
      • A book for all journalists who believe
      • The Billboard Bandit
      • Food for thought
      • Grand jury probe
      • Judgement on journalists
      • Lessons from an ancient spirit
      • Lying for the story . . .
      • Newspaper nabs Atlanta’s Dahmer
      • One way to a good end
      • Over the fence
      • “Psst! Pass it on!”
      • Rules aren’t neat on Crack Street
      • “Someone had to be her advocate”
      • Trial by Fire
      • Trial by proximity
      • Using deceit to get the truth
      • When advocacy is okay
      • White lies
      • Witness to an execution
    • Handling Sources
      • Are we our brother’s keeper? . . . You bet we are!
      • Betraying a trust
      • Broken promise
      • “But I thought you were . . . ”
      • “Can I take it back?”
      • Competitive disadvantage
      • Getting it on tape
      • The great quote question
      • How to handle suicide threats
      • Let’s make a deal!
      • A phone-y issue?
      • The source wanted out
      • The story that died in a lie
      • Thou shalt not break thy promise
      • Thou shalt not concoct thy quote
      • Thou shalt not trick thy source
      • Too good to be true
      • Vulnerable sources and journalistic responsibility
      • The way things used to be . . .
      • When a story just isn’t worth it
      • When a story source threatens suicide
    • Invading Privacy
      • When public should remain private
      • The ethics of “outing”
      • “For personal reasons”
      • Intruding on grief
      • Intruding on private pain
      • Privacy case settled against TV station
      • Seeing both sides
      • Two views on “outing”
      • Two views on “outing”
      • Unwanted spotlight
      • Whose right is it anyway?
      • Other views on the Christine Busalacchi case
    • Military issues
      • The death of a soldier
      • Firing at Round Rock
      • A kinder, gentler news media
      • Operation: Buy yourself a parade
      • Rallying ’round the flag
      • “Salute to military” ads canceled
      • Tell the truth, stay alive
      • The windbags of war
    • Naming newsmakers
      • Absent with no malice
      • Anonymity for rape victims . . .
      • An exception to the rule
      • The boy with a broken heart
      • Civilly suitable
      • Creating a victim
      • “Everyone already knew”
      • An exceptional case
      • Innocent victims
      • Minor infraction
      • Names make news
      • Naming a victim
      • Naming “johns”
      • Profile of controversy
      • What the media all missed
      • Punishing plagiarizers
      • Sounding an alarm on AIDS
      • Suffer the children
    • Other Topics
      • Anchor’s away
      • The day the earth stood still
      • Doing your own ethics audit
      • Good guys, bad guys and TV news
      • Is it just me, or . . . ?
      • The Post’s exam answer story
      • TV station “teases” suicide
      • Yanking Doonesbury
      • The year in review
    • Sensitive News Topics
      • Colorado media’s option play
      • Deadly lesson
      • Deciding which critically ill person gets coverage
      • When journalists play God . . .
      • A delicate balance
      • The Fallen Servant
      • Handle with care
      • It’s the principle, really
      • Killing news
      • Maybe what seems so right is wrong
      • On the line
      • Protest and apology after Daily Beacon story
      • Red flag for badgering
      • Sharing the community’s grief
      • Suffer the children
      • The “super-crip” stereotype
      • “And then he said *&%*!!!”
      • When big is not better
      • When the KKK comes calling
      • Not the straight story
    • Workplace issues
      • Agreeing to disagree
      • All in the family
      • Family feud
      • Author! Author!
      • The Bee that roared
      • Brewing controversy
      • Building barriers
      • Other views from librarians
      • The ethics of information selling
      • Close to home
      • Family ties
      • How now, sacred cow?
      • The ties that bind
      • “Like any other story”
      • When your newspaper is the news
      • Not friendly fire
      • Overdraft on credibility?
      • The problem is the writing
      • Written rules can be hazardous
      • Project censored, sins of omission and the hardest “W” of all – “why”
      • Risking the newsroom’s image

The Media School

Ethics Case Studies

  • Home
  • Browse Ethics Case Studies
    • Aiding law enforcement
    • Being First
    • Bottom-line decisions
    • Controversial photos
    • Covering politics
    • Getting the story
    • Handling Sources
    • Invading Privacy
    • Military issues
    • Naming newsmakers
    • Other Topics
    • Sensitive News Topics
    • Workplace issues
  • Search

Ethics Cases Online

This set of cases has been created for teachers, researchers, professional journalists and consumers of news to help them explore ethical issues in journalism. The cases raise a variety of ethical problems faced by journalists, including such issues as privacy, conflict of interest, reporter- source relationships, and the role of journalists in their communities.

The initial core of this database comes from a series of cases developed by Barry Bingham, Jr., and published in his newsletter, FineLine. The school is grateful to Bingham for his permission to make these cases available to a wider audience.

You may download cases for classes, research or personal use. Permission is granted for academic use of these cases, including inclusion in course readers for specific college courses. This permission does not extend to the republication of the cases in books, journals or electronic form.

Note: We are indebted to Professor Emeritus David Boeyink, who developed this project several years ago.

  • “Ad”mission of guilt: Court-ordered ads raise ethical questions
  • “Do I stop him?”: Reporter’s arresting question is news
  • Fairness: A casualty of the anti-drug crusade
  • Newspaper joins war against drugs: Standard-Times publishes photos of all suspected drug offenders
  • Have I got a deal for you!: The line between cooperation and collusion
  • Identifying what’s right: Photographer’s ID used in hostage release
  • Is “Enough!” too much?: Editors split on anti-drug coupons
  • Issues of bench and bar: In this case, a TV reporter is the judge
  • Knowing when to say “when!”: Drawing the line at cooperating with authorities
  • Stop! This is a warning . . . : Suppressing news at police request
  • Strange Bedfellows: Federal agents in a TV newsroom

  • Foul play
  • Gambling with being first: The media drive to score on the Isiah Thomas story
  • Making the right ethical choice can mean winning by losing
  • Playing into a hoaxster’s hands: How the Virginia media got suckered
  • “They said it first”: Is that reason for going for the story?

  • Is it news, ad or infomercial?: The line between news and advertising is going, going . . .
  • Letter to the editor
  • Games publishers play: Allowing an advertiser to call the shots
  • An offer you can refuse: The selling of Cybill to the Enquirer
  • An oily gift horse: saying “No!” to Exxon
  • Public service. . .or “news-mercials”: The blending of television news and advertising

  • As life passes by: A journalist’s role: watch and wait
  • Letter to the editor
  • Bringing death close: Publishing photographs of human tragedy
  • A careless step, a rash of calls: “Unusual” photo of AIDS walkathon raises hackles” 
  • Distortion of reality?: “Punk for Peace” photograph draws fire
  • Of life and death: Photos capture woman’s last moments
  • Naked came the rider
  • “A photo that had to be used”: Anatomy of a newspaper’s decision
  • A picture of controversy: Pulitzer photos show diverse editorial standards

  • Freedom of political expression: Do journalists forfeit their right?
  • Brother, can you spare some time?: TV stations give candidates air time
  • Columnist’s crusade OK with Seattle Times
  • Kiss and tell: Publishing details of a mayor’s personal life
  • The making of a governor: How media fantasy swayed an election
  • Past but not over: When history collides with the Present
  • Of publishers and politics: Byline protest threatened at Star Tribune
  • To tell the truth: Why I didn’t; why I regret it
  • Truth & Consequences: The public’s right to know . . . at what cost?
  • “Truth boxes”: Media monitoring of TV campaign ads
  • When journalists become flacks: Two views on what to do and when to do it

  • A book for all journalists who believe: Accuracy is our highest ethical debate
  • The Billboard Bandit: Did the newspaper get graffiti on its reputation
  • Food for thought: You are what you eat . . . and do
  • Grand jury probe: TV journalists indicted for illegal dogfight
  • Judgment on journalists: Do they defiantly put themselves “above the law?”
  • Lessons from an ancient spirit: Why I participated in a peyote ritual
  • Lying for the story . . . :Or things they don’t teach in journalism school
  • Newspaper nabs Atlanta’s Dahmer: Another predator who should’ve been stopped: Was it homophobia?
  • One way to a good end: Reporter cuts corners to test capital drug program
  • Over the fence: A case of crossing the line for a story
  • “Psst! Pass it on!”: Why are journalists spreading rumors?
  • Rules aren’t neat on Crack Street: Journalists know the rules; they also know that the rules don’t always apply when confronted with life-threatening situations
  • “Someone had to be her advocate”: A newspaper’s crusade to keep a child’s death from being forgotten
  • Trial by Fire: Boy “hero” story tests media
  • Trial by proximity: How close is too close for a jury and a reporter?
  • Using deceit to get the truth: When there’s just no other way
  • When advocacy is okay: Access is an acceptable journalist’s cause
  • White lies: Bending the truth to expose injustice
  • Witness to an execution: KQED sues to videotape capital punishment

  • Are we our brother’s keeper? . . . You bet we are!
  • Betraying a trust: Our story wronged a naive subject
  • Broken Promise: Breaching a reporter-source confidence
  • “But I thought you were . . .”: When a source doesn’t know you are a reporter
  • “Can I take it back?”: Why we told our source ‘yes’
  • Competitive disadvantage: Business blindsided by unnamed sources
  • Getting it on tape: What if you don’t tell them?
  • The great quote question: How much tampering with quotations can journalists ethically do?
  • How to handle suicide threats
  • Let’s make a deal!: The dangers of trading with sources
  • A phone-y issue?: Caller ID raises confidentiality questions
  • The source wanted out: Why our decision was ‘no’
  • The story that died in a lie: Questions about truthfulness kill publication
  • Thou shalt not break thy promise: Supreme Court rules on betraying sources’ anonymity 
  • Thou shalt not concoct thy quote: Supreme Court decides on the rules of the quotation game
  • Thou shalt not trick thy source: Many a slip twixt the promise and the page
  • Too good to be true: Blowing the whistle on a lying source
  • Vulnerable sources and journalistic responsibility: Are we our brother’s keeper?
  • The way things used to be . . . : Who says this new “objectivity” is better?
  • When a story just isn’t worth it: Holding information to protect a good source
  • When a story source threatens suicide: “I’m going to kill myself!”

  • When public should remain private
  • The ethics of “outing”: Breaking the silence code on homosexuality
  • “For personal reasons”: Balancing privacy with the right to know
  • Intruding on grief: Does the public really have a “need to know?”
  • Intruding on private pain: Emotional TV segment offers hard choice
  • Privacy case settled against TV station
  • Seeing both sides: A personal and professional dilemma
  • Two views on “outing”: When the media do it for you
  • Two views on “outing”: When you do it yourself
  • Unwanted Spotlight: When private people become part of a public story
  • Whose right is it anyway?: Videotape of accident victim raises questions about rights to privacy
  • Other views on the Christine Busalacchi case

  • The death of a soldier: Hometown decision for hometown hero
  • Firing at Round Rock: Editor says “unpatriotic” story led to dismissal 
  • A kinder, gentler news media?: Post-war coverage shows sensitivity to families
  • Operation: Buy yourself a parade: New York papers pitch in for hoopla celebrating hide-and-seek war
  • Rallying ’round the flag: The press as U.S. propagandists
  • “Salute to military” ads canceled
  • Tell the truth, stay alive: In covering a civil war, honesty is the only policy
  • The windbags of war: Television’s gung-ho coverage of the Persian Gulf situation

  • Absent with no malice: Omitting part of the story for a reason
  • Anonymity for rape victims . . . : should the rules change?
  • An exception to the rule: a decision to change names
  • The boy with a broken heart: Special problems when juveniles are newsmakers
  • Civilly suitable: If law requires less, should media reveal more?
  • Creating a victim: Plot for a fair story may not be foolproof
  • “Everyone already knew”: A weak excuse for abandoning standards
  • An exceptional case: Hartford Courant names rape victim
  • Innocent victims: Naming the guilty . . . but guiltless
  • Minor infraction: A newspaper’s case for breaking the law
  • Names make news: One newspaper debates when and why
  • Naming a victim: When do you break your own rule?
  • Naming “johns”: Suicide raises ethical questions about policy
  • Profile of controversy: New York Times reporter defends story on Kennedy rape claimant 
  • What the media all missed: Times reporter finally sets record straight on Palm Beach rape profile
  • Punishing plagiarizers: Does public exposure fit the sin?
  • Sounding an alarm on AIDS: Spreading the word about someone who’s spreading the disease
  • Suffer the Children: Journalists are guilty of child misuse

  • Anchor’s away: Where in the world is she? Or does it matter?
  • The day the earth stood still: How the media covered the “earthquake”
  • Doing your own ethics audit
  • Good guys, bad guys and TV news: How television and other media promote police violence
  • Is it just me, or . . . ?
  • The Post’s exam answer story
  • TV station “teases” suicide
  • Yanking Doonesbury
  • The year in review: 1990’s biggest ethical headaches and journalistic bloopers

  • Colorado media’s option play: Most passed; did they also fumble?
  • Deadly lesson: Warning about sexual asphyxiation
  • Deciding which critically ill person gets coverage
  • When journalists play God . . .
  • A delicate balance: Mental breakdowns & news coverage
  • The Fallen Servant: When a hero is not a hero
  • Handle with care: Priest murder story required extra sensitivity
  • It’s the principle, really: Timing and people’s money matter, too
  • Killing news: Responsible coverage of suicides
  • Maybe what seems so right is wrong: A medical condition media-generated money can’t cure
  • On the line: A reporter’s job vs. human decency
  • Protest and apology after Daily Beacon story
  • Red flag for badgering: Ombudsman takes sportswriter to task
  • Sharing the community’s grief: Little Rock news coverage of three teen-age suicides
  • Suffer the children: Was story on molestation worth the human cost?
  • The “super-crip” stereotype: Press victimization of disabled people
  • “And then he said *&%*!!!”: When sexist and vulgar remarks are new
  • When big is not better: Playing down a story for the community good
  • When the KKK comes calling: What’s the story?
  • Not the straight story: Can misleading readers ever be justified?

  • Agreeing to disagree: How one newspaper handles off-hour activities
  • All in the family: When a journalist’s spouse creates a conflict of interests
  • Family feud: Handling conflicts between journalists and partners
  • Author! Author!: Ethical dilemmas when reporters turn author
  • The Bee that roared: Taking a stand for editorial independence
  • Brewing controversy: The commercialization of Linda Ellerbee
  • Building barriers: The case against financial involvement
  • Other views from librarians: When interests of client and newsroom conflict
  • The ethics of information selling: Problems for library reference services
  • Close to home: When your newsroom is part of the story
  • Family Ties: When are relationships relationships relevant?
  • How now, sacred cow?: United Way’s favored treatment by the media
  • The ties that bind: Publisher’s link to United Way raises questions
  • “Like any other story”: Can it be when it’s your union vs. your paper?
  • When your newspaper is the news: Editors discuss their experiences
  • Not friendly fire: News director at odds with CBS over story
  • Overdraft on credibility?: Reporter faces conflict-of-interest charges
  • The problem is the writing
  • Written rules can be hazardous: A lawyer views ethics codes
  • Project censored, sins of omission and the hardest “W” of all – “why”
  • Risking the newsroom’s image: How editors, in a good cause, can strain independence

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