Ethics and the News Media

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Just as journalists grapple with guidelines about what is considered newsworthy and whether they embody the right values in their profession, they also frequently face ethical dilemmas. For example, they must decide when to protect government secrets and when to reveal those secrets to the public. They must consider whether it is ethically acceptable to use deception or to invade someone’s privacy to get information the public deserves to know, and they must guard against accepting gifts or favors in return for producing a news story or presenting a story’s subject in a favorable light. These and other predicaments have prompted members of the journalism profession to establish policies and guidelines for resolving such dilemmas.