Milwaukee Press Club

Doing ethics as the world goes to hell in a handbasket

Event Details

Thu, January 22, 2009
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Cost: $15.00 Members / $20.00 Non-Members / $10.00 Students
Location: Newsroom Pub
137 E. Wells Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Map / Driving Directions


Doing ethics as the world goes to hell in a handbasket

MILWAUKEE, WI – January 9, 2009.  Journalism and ethics will be the subject of the next Milwaukee Press Club Newsmaker Luncheon.  The public is invited to attend the Newsmaker Luncheon, which will feature a discussion by Stephen J. A. Ward, who is the James E. Burgess Professor of Journalism Ethics in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  The event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 22, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Newsroom Pub in downtown Milwaukee at 137 E. Wells St.

Tough times make ethics seem irrelevant or impossible, or too time-consuming. But this attitude only places quality journalism in further jeopardy. To the contrary, tough times call for a heightened attention to ethics, and new ways to adapt our ‘best practices’ to changing conditions. “Crisis ethics” -- a seat-of-the-pants, individualistic response to ethical issues as they arise is not the answer. “Doing ethics” in newsrooms requires a process to make ethics part of the daily news process and a process to develop responsible editorial policies. 

Some examples to consider:

1. Granting of anonymity to members of the public who comment on people and issues on a news organization’s web site and are eventually published in the organization’s newspaper.

2. When to publish breaking news on a person, event, or issue when there is no ‘official’ to verify the report. For instance, the story may be “user-generated” — information from citizens, ‘citizen journalists,’ blogs, citizen web sites, etc.

3. Handling of potential conflict-of-interest problems among editorial staff.

Ward is a former newsroom bureau chief and foreign reporter, and most recently was director of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

The Milwaukee Press Club's Newsmaker Luncheon Series is sponsored by Journal Communications and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The Press Club presents the Newsmaker Luncheons monthly to shed light on issues of the day. The public is invited to attend the luncheons. The cost to attend is $15 for MPC members, $20 for non-members, $10 for students. Lunch is included. Pre-registration and advance payment is required and may be done online at www.milwaukeepressclub.org.  Checks may be mailed to the MPC at PO Box 176, North Prairie, WI  53153-0176. Cancellations will be accepted up to 48 hours in advance for a full refund.  Please contact Joette Richards at the Milwaukee Press Club at milwaukeepressclub@gmail.com with any questions; or to pay by credit card, call 262-894-2224.