ABSTRACT
Chapter 12: Journalism, ethics and philosophy: Ethics is an important branch of philosophy, not just a prescriptive code that journalists are supposed to worship like a mystical stone tablet. This chapter explores the historical development of ethics and canvasses some of the key philosophical ideas that underpin contemporary codes. The focus will be on the English-speaking world, but other relevant examples from non-English systems will also be introduced where appropriate. While codes of ethics have their roots in philosophical debates going back many centuries, there is often little time to revisit them in the busy heat of the newsroom. Ethics have to be translated from the lofty idealism of philosophy into concrete actions undertaken by flesh-and-blood reporters faced with real-time dilemmas. However, we also argue in this chapter that journalism cannot abandon philosophy. Rather, journalists need to recognise the importance of philosophy and the similarities between philosophical and journalistic reasoning. We point to recent discussions between journalism and philosophy and suggest that continuing and deepening this conversation is a key aspect of rebuilding trust relationships with news audiences.
