Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2007
Source Publication
Journal of Mass Media Ethics
Abstract
The contemporary debate about "who is a journalist" is occurring in two distinct domains: law and professional ethics. Although the debate in these domains is focused on separate problems, participants treat the central question as essentially the same. This article suggests that the debates in law and professional ethics have to be resolved independently and that debate within those domains needs to be more nuanced. In law, it must vary depending on whether the context involves constitutional law, statutory law, or the distribution of informal privileges by government officials. In professional ethics, the debate should not be oriented around a single definitional threshold but should identify tiers that take account of different communicators’ unique goals, tactics, and values.
Comments
Originally published in Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Volume 22, No. 4 (October 2007), DOI: 10.1080/08900520701583511.
This article was originally published by Taylor & Francis.