Synopses & Reviews
Offering a hard-hitting critique of traditional assumptions about the way journalists should go about the business of obtaining the news, Jeremy Iggers challenges the dogmas that have shaped journalism for the last 100 years -- the dogmas of objectivity, neutrality, and delivery of information. In Good News, Bad News: Public Journalism Ethics and Public Interest, Iggers demonstrates that journalism's institutionalized ethics neither safeguard nor promote responsible reporting. He briefly examines the history and development of codes of ethics before offering an in-depth analysis of the state of journalistic conduct today. Citing such infamous cases as Janet Cooke's "Jimmy's World" story (for which a Pulitzer was first awarded then revoked) and Kurt Lohbeck's false and distorted reports from Afghanistan, Iggers explains why those incidents have contributed to the disintegrating credibility of the American press.
The final chapters sketch out a new theory of ethics for journalism based on a more complete understanding of the role of the news media in society. Iggers argues that only by adopting such values as access to information, commitment to diversity, and an emphasis on context and explanation will journalists fulfill their social responsibility. Iggers then discusses the challenges of putting these values into practice and concludes with treatment of the public journalism movement, which acknowledges the responsibility of journalism in public life.
Synopsis
Public dissatisfaction with the news media frequently gives rise to calls for journalists to live up to the ethical standards of their profession. But what if the fault lies in part with the standards themselves?Jeremy Iggers argues that journalism’s institutionalized conversation about ethics largely evades the most important issues regarding the public interest and the civic responsibilities of the press. Changes in the ownership and organization of the news media make these issues especially timely; although journalism’s ethics rest on the idea of journalism as a profession, the rise of market-driven journalism has undermined journalists’ professional status.Ultimately, argues Iggers, journalism is impossible without a public that cares about the common life. A more meaningful approach to journalism ethics must begin with a consideration of the role of the news media in a democratic society and proceed to look for practical ways in which journalism can contribute to the vitality of public life.Written in an accessible style, Good News, Bad News is important reading for journalists, communication scholars, and students.