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With the crush of deadlines and daily duties, most media professionals deal with ethical situations as they arise, claiming “I’m just doing my job.” However, examining some established ethical theories may help journalists develop a general framework for ethical behavior, rather than continuing to use a situational approach. Although we cannot address all major moral codes here, insights from a few great philosophers can provide some direction. Using these insights, journalists have occasionally developed sound ethical policies that guide them whenever a dilemma arises.

Consulting the Great Philosophers

The Greek philosopher Aristotle offered an early ethical concept, the “golden mean,” as a guideline for seeking balance between competing positions. For Aristotle, the golden mean referred to the desirable middle ground between extreme positions. For example, Aristotle saw ambition as the golden mean between sloth and greed.

Another ethical principle entails the “categorical imperative,” developed by German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804). This idea suggests that a society must adhere to moral codes that are universal and unconditional, applicable in all situations at all times. For example, the Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”) is articulated in one form or another in most of the world’s major religious and philosophical traditions, and operates as an absolutist moral principle.

British philosophers Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) promoted another general ethics principle derived from “the greatest good for the greatest number.” This principle directs us “to distribute a good consequence to more people rather than to fewer, whenever we have a choice.”⁶

Making Ethics Decisions

To decide how to handle an ethical dilemma, journalists can draw from the great philosophers’ insights, adapting those insights to the realities facing them today. For example, consider how the press handled the case of Richard Jewell, the Atlanta security guard whom the FBI suspected of setting off a bomb at the 1996 Olympics. The FBI never actually charged Jewell with a crime. However, the news media competed to report developments in the case, camping out daily in front of Jewell’s mother’s house (where he lived) and clamoring to interview them. The case pitted the media’s right to tell stories and earn profits against a person’s right to be left alone.

Jewell later successfully sued several news organizations for libel. The lawsuit and its decision suggest that journalists mishandled the situation. To avoid this unpleasant outcome while working on other stories, journalists might look to the major philosophers for guidance on how to behave. For instance, if reporters invoked the Golden Rule, perhaps they might conclude that since they would not want reporters camped out at their homes, they should look for alternative means to interview their subjects. If they invoked Aristotle’s notion of the golden mean, perhaps they would seek a way to balance a source’s interests and those of the news media. For example, they might invite an interview subject to suggest a neutral site, away from his or her private dwelling, and then give interviews to a small group—or “pool”—of reporters who could then report back to the larger media contingent.