Media Ethics

I would say that it is rarely ever ethical to manipulate photos. Pictures are just an extensision of journalistic reporting and should be held to the same ethical standards. The only situation where editing photos pictures seems justified, is when it is done to protect viewers. One example I can think of is when football player Chad Ochocinco did a "Lambeau Leap" when he played the Green Bay Packers. It was the image of the game except for one fan whow was "flipping off" Ochocinco. I think editing this photo would be neccesary.

The media should not use alarmist headlines to grab interest or sell papers. Reporters know that many readers don't get past the headline, sort of making up their own story based off the headline. Alarmist headlines may get people to pick up a paper and read the opening graph, but it does not allow the reader to become more informed.

Journalists are supposed to be unbiased storytellers, presenting a true story to readers. Taking these gifts from companies, whether they admit it or not, will give the reporters a more favorable opinion of the company. I'm not saying every reporter conciously thinks, "Well, they did pay for my hotel room" when they right the story, but if a reporter has a fun and relaxing weekend while reviewing a car, the story will show that.

First, I do not believe any of the pranks pulled by the "Fat Squad" should have been frontpage news, so I feel it was rediculous how much attention they received. Since the media did cover the hoaxes, they should have questioned the events for authenticity. It shows that many journalists will report what falls into their lap without thinking twice about it. If the reporters would have asked questions with any depth, I think they could have seen right through the scam. I believe internet reporters are more likely to fall for these types of stories. In most cases, there is less supervison of internet stories, allowing journalists the freedom to write whatever they feel. These types of media also seem to have less money to spend which might keep them from getting a personal interview, or the money to actually travel to places like the dog brothel.