Journalism ethics site launched

Apr 08, 2009 - Posted by Regan Ray

Journalism Ethics for the Global Citizen, a website project headed by Stephen J.A. Ward has launched.

Ward, former director of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia, ran an ethics website through UBC, but when he moved to a new job at School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison last year, he began work on relaunching the site as Journalism Ethics for the Global Citizen.

The new site is funded by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is the public face of the journalism school's new Center for Journalism Ethics. The site still retains ties to UBC.

Ward said:

"As you will see from the home page, I include Canadian journalism perspectives, and the resource pages (inside) have many links to Canadians sites. Much of the material is useful wherever you live. After all, I am trying to make the site global in attitude."

According to the site, the centre's mission is "to advance the ethical standards and practices of democratic journalism through discussion, research, teaching, professional outreach, and newsroom partnerships. The center is a voice for journalistic integrity, a forum for informed debate, and an incubator for new ideas and practices."

Ward writes Ward's Words, a regular J-Source column on ethical issues in journalism.

Comments

Submitted by Maurice Cardinal (not verified) on April 14, 2009 - 1:07pm.

Seriously, and with all due respect, what good is a website about ethics if it doesn't have a "Comments" section. Transparency is the key. Not allowing people to comment is not acceptable. Transparency and two-way communication reflect the entire challenge. Address it and you fix journalism. Complicate it all you want with esoteric explanations and PH D's, but today, more than yesterday, if you don't allow people to comment it sends a message that you are either hiding some type of bias, or you do not trust your own message.

Submitted by Shannon Moneo (not verified) on June 11, 2009 - 2:00pm.

You can write from ivory towers all you want about ethics, but as one recent CJP article pointed out, journalists aren't very good at self-examination and self-policing. As the victim of an extremely unethical editor and publisher, I know how journalists won't put their jobs or reputations on the line to defend or even protect fellow journalists. All the "ethics" papers, websites and standards are useless unless they are vigourously enforced. The old saying," actions speak louder than words," still rings true.

Comment Policy

J-Source invites comments on any content items or on any other topics relevant to journalism. Those posting comments are expected to adhere to standards of accuracy and fairness that would be recognized by those who practise, teach or study journalism.

Comments are restricted to registered users. You must register with your full first and last name in order to be eligible to comment.
Please communicate as effectively and intelligently as you would in a professional or academic forum, focusing on the issues at hand rather than the characters or characteristics of those involved.
This forum is intended for discussion of the craft of journalism, not of the issues of the day that journalists cover; please do not post story tips or press releases.
We moderate the forum for adherence to these standards of discourse, and reserve the right to decline any comment or restrict any user from commenting without giving reasons. Every effort is made to approve valid comments within 24 hours of submission.

Journalism ethics site launched

Comments

Comment Policy

News & Views

Advice & Resources

Education & Research

Rights & Wrongs

J-Topics

Recent Posts

Recent comments

Peter Worthington: 10 facts about the journalist who wrote his own obituary

Opinion: Why all journalists should study public relations

			Support J-Source


		Best online-only article or series