Deck 13: Ethics in the Digital Age

Question 1

Journalists' codes of ethics are

A) Legally enforceable
B) Mandatory in the United States
C) Voluntarily followed
D) Enforced by the government

Answer 1

Voluntarily followed

Question 2

Journalists may accept the following items in exchange for writing a story

A) Tickets to a sporting event
B) A trip for a travel story
C) Autographed items
D) None of the above

Answer 2

None of the above

Question 3

Going undercover for a story is

A) A practice journalists should avoid
B) A common reporting technique
C) Only acceptable if the journalist wears a disguise
D) Completely legal

Answer 3

A practice journalists should avoid

Question 4

Studies show that the sources most often quoted in news media are

A) Black women
B) White women
C) Asian men
D) White men

Question 5

People of color make up what percentage of employees in U.S. newspaper newsrooms?

A) 43 percent
B) 35 percent
C) 12 percent
D) 27 percent

Question 6

Racial, ethnic and gender stereotypes in journalism

A) Are acceptable when poking fun at subjects
B) Should be avoided
C) Can be used when they are politically correct
D) May be incorporated in editorial cartoons

Question 7

Journalists' first obligation is to their

A) Bosses
B) Sources
C) Competitors
D) Audience

Question 8

Journalists may accept the following items in exchange for writing a story

A) Tickets to a sporting event
B) A trip for a travel story
C) Autographed items
D) None of these

Question 9

Journalists should publish inaccurate information

A) Never
B) When editors tell them to
C) If protecting a source
D) To help a police investigation

Question 10

Social media can be an effective and helpful journalistic tool. However, news organizations have made several high-profile errors through social media by trying to break news first. What sort of social media policies do you think journalists and news organizations should follow to ensure accuracy and truth?

Question 11

Advertisers are allowed to influence media content

A) When they pay enough money to the media organization
B) Never
C) If the media organization is doing a story about the advertiser
D) When the advertiser sponsors an event

Question 12

Good ethical decisions in newsrooms most often are made by:

A) The top manager in the media organization
B) The individual journalist
C) A group of journalists and stakeholders
D) The public

Question 13

Journalists may publish inaccurate information

A) Never
B) When editors tell them to
C) If protecting a source
D) To help a police investigation

Question 14

Journalism photographs may be altered

A) To avoid embarrassment to the subject
B) To improve the quality of the photo
C) When they might be perceived as offensive
D) Never

Question 15

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein won a Pulitzer Prize for covering

A) The 9/11 bombings
B) World War II
C) The Watergate scandal
D) The Iran-contra scandal

Question 16

A majority of the public perceives journalists as

A) Highly ethical
B) Less ethical than local politicians
C) More ethical than clergy members
D) The least ethical profession in the United States

Question 17

Journalism errors

A) Can be easily corrected
B) Hurt news media's credibility
C) Can force journalists in the U.S. to be criminally prosecuted
D) Are the fault of bloggers

Question 18

Making assumptions in journalism

A) Is an accepted practice on deadline
B) Sometimes helps better tell a story
C) Cuts corners
D) Often leads to errors

Question 19

Making up quotes is acceptable

A) When the source cannot be reached
B) Never
C) When the source asks the journalist to write a quote
D) If the source is a public figure

Question 20

If a victim's family member does not want to talk to reporters, you should

A) Respect the person's privacy
B) Tell the person he or she is obligated to talk to journalists
C) Ask to speak to a designated spokesperson for the family
D) A or C

Question 21

When you interview children

A) Anything goes
B) Ask a lot questions to get the answer you need
C) Use caution because they are naïve about the media
D) Take information off the record only

Question 22

Elected officials

A) Have fewer privacy rights than private people
B) Have the same privacy rights as private people
C) Must reveal all details of their personal lives
D) Can maintain privacy only in their medical records

Question 23

Journalists often are cautioned against using anonymous sources because their identity and credibility cannot be verified. In what situations do you think it is appropriate to use anonymous sources?

Question 24

Journalists' codes of ethics are

A) Legally enforceable
B) Mandatory in the United States
C) Voluntarily followed
D) Enforced by the government

Question 25

Journalists may publish inaccurate information

A) Never
B) When editors tell them to
C) If protecting a source
D) To help a police investigation

Question 26

Journalism photographs may be altered

A) To avoid embarrassment to the subject
B) To improve the quality of the photo
C) When they might be perceived as offensive
D) Never

Question 27

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein won a Pulitzer Prize for covering

A) The 9/11 bombings
B) World War II
C) The Watergate scandal
D) The Iran-contra scandal

Question 28

A majority of the public perceives journalists as

A) Highly ethical
B) Less ethical than local politicians
C) More ethical than clergy members
D) The least ethical profession in the United States

Question 29

Journalism errors

A) Can be easily corrected
B) Hurt news media's credibility
C) Can force journalists in the U.S. to be criminally prosecuted
D) Are the fault of bloggers

Question 30

Making assumptions in journalism

A) Is an accepted practice on deadline
B) Sometimes helps better tell a story
C) Cuts corners
D) Often leads to errors

Question 31

Making up quotes is acceptable

A) When the source cannot be reached
B) Never
C) When the source asks the journalist to write a quote
D) If the source is a public figure

Question 32

If a victim's family member does not want to talk to reporters, you should

A) Respect the person's privacy
B) Tell the person he or she is obligated to talk to journalists
C) Ask to speak to a designated spokesperson for the family
D) A or C

Question 33

When you interview children

A) Anything goes
B) Ask a lot questions to get the answer you need
C) Use caution because they are naïve about the media
D) Take information off the record only

Question 34

Elected officials

A) Have fewer privacy rights than private people
B) Have the same privacy rights as private people
C) Must reveal all details of their personal lives
D) Can maintain privacy only in their medical records

Question 35

Good ethical decisions in newsrooms most often are made by:

A) The top manager in the media organization
B) The individual journalist
C) A group of journalists and stakeholders
D) The public

Question 36

Advertisers are allowed to influence media content

A) When they pay enough money to the media organization
B) Never
C) If the media organization is doing a story about the advertiser
D) When the advertiser sponsors an event

Question 37

Journalists may accept the following items in exchange for writing a story

A) Tickets to a sporting event
B) A trip for a travel story
C) Autographed items
D) None of the above

Question 38

Going undercover for a story is

A) A practice journalists should avoid
B) A common reporting technique
C) Only acceptable if the journalist wears a disguise
D) Completely legal

Question 39

People of color make up what percentage of employees in U.S. newspaper newsrooms?

A) 43 percent
B) 35 percent
C) 12 percent
D) 27 percent

Question 40

Women make up what percentage of employees in U.S. television newsrooms?

A) 50 percent
B) 62 percent
C) 21 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 41

Racial, ethnic and gender stereotypes in journalism

A) Are acceptable when poking fun at subjects
B) Should be avoided
C) Can be used when they are politically correct
D) May be incorporated in editorial cartoons

Question 42

Social media can be an effective and helpful journalistic tool. However, news organizations have made several high-profile errors through social media by trying to break news first. What sort of social media policies do you think journalists and news organizations should follow to ensure accuracy and truth?

Question 43

Journalists often are cautioned against using anonymous sources because their identity and credibility cannot be verified. In what situations do you think it is appropriate to use anonymous sources?