The Journalist's Moral Compass ― Basic Principles

What basic ethical principles should guide American journalists to help them justify their invasion of an individual's privacy, to be "objective" in their reporting, to avoid being influenced by government or economic controls? A wire service and newsroom veteran and a sociologist and scholar in mass media/communications have designed a philosophical guide for students, scholars, and practitioners to use as a kind of "moral compass." Key excerpts from some of the most important writings on the subject from Milton to Louis Brandeis, from Plato to Sissela Bok, and from Adam Smith to John Merrill deal with some of the most serious contemporary issues in journalism today. This short text also includes the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics and a full index.

Steven R. Knowlton, assistant professor of journalism at Pennsylvania State University with a PhD in history, worked for more than twenty years as a reporter and editor for six different newspapers around the country and for United Press International and as a press aide on a presidential campaign. His most recent book is Popular Politics and the Irish Catholic Church (1991).

Patrick R. Parsons is associate professor of communications at Pennsylvania State University with his doctoral degree in journalism and mass communications. His recent publications include Milestones in Cable Television USA (1990) and Cable Television and the First Amendment (1987). He has written at length on ethical issues for journalists and on their roles in society.