Presentation for Media Ethics

1. MASS MEDIA IN A
DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY: CASE
STUDY 6B
LESTER ACOSTA
REBECCA BLOUNT

2. THE WAR LOGS
• HACKER JULIAN ASSANGE EXPOSES MULTIPLE CASES OF
POLITICAL CORRUPTION—PRIMARILY COMMITTED BY
THE UNITED STATES.
• 2010 HE EXPOSED A VIDEO OF A U.S. APACHE HELICOPTER
GUNNING DOWN JOURNALISTS AND CIVILIANS IN IRAN.
• 2010 ASSANGE EXPOSED OVER 400,000 DOCUMENTS.
THESE INCLUDED
a. RAW REPORTS OF FOREIGN SERVICE MEMBERS
b. MILITARY ACCOUNTS OF EVENTS AND ACTIONS
c. INFORMATION ABOUT THE U.S. PROSECUTION OF WAR IN
IRAN AND AFGHANISTAN
• 2011 THE WAR LOGS WERE PLACED ONLINE

3. MICRO ISSUES
IS ASSANGE A JOURNALIST? A HACKER? AN INFORMATION INTERMEDIARY? IN AN ETHICAL
SENSE, DOES HIS OCCUPATION MATTER?
NEWS ORGANIZATIONS AGREED TO PUBLISH ASSANGE’S FINDINGS. WHAT SHOULD THESE
‘AGREEMENTS HAVE FOCUSED ON?
WHEN PRESENTED WITH DOCUMENTS LIKE “THE WAR LOGS” WHAT STEPS SHOULD NEWS
ORGANIZATIONS TAKE TO VALIDATE THEM?
HOW SHOULD NEWS ORGANIZATIONS TREAT WIKILEAKS AND MANNING? WHAT IS THE
JOURNALIST’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE SOURCES

4. MACRO ISSUES
• ASSANGE ONCE HID IN A REPORTERS HOME. IS THIS AN APPROPRIATE ACTION BY A
JOURNALIST WHO IS SO INVOLVED IN THE STORY TO DO FOR THE SOURCE?
A. WHAT IF ASSANGE WAS A DOCUMENTARY FILM MAKER, WOULD YOUR ANSWER
CHANGE?
• HOW WOULD YOU TREAT THE LEAKS IF THEY CAME NOT FROM THE GOVERNMENT BUT
A PRIVATE, FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SUCH AS A PHARMACEUTICAL FIRM?
• ETHICALLY, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOING UNDERCOVER AND
PUBLISHING LEAKS?
• DOES ASSANGE’S PERSONAL CHARACTER MATTER IN HOW A JOURNALIST EVALUATES
HIS ACTIONS?

5. Normative Roles that the Media Enacts:
Institutional Level (Bruce A. Williams
framework)
Radical Role
● When the media
provides an alternate
vision to the current
political and social
situation in the
country.
Monitorial Role
● Watchdog
function of the
news media.
Collaborative Role
● The media
promote the views
of the state.
● Journalists must filter through
the DISCRETION
● Sissela Bok’s Ethical Test:
“NEED TO KNOW”

6. WIKILEAKS
• WIKILEAKS DOES NO INDEPENDENT REPORTING, INSTEAD RELYING ON OTHERS TO
“LEAK” THE INFORMATION.
• MANY QUESTIONED WHERE THE “WAR LOGS” CAME FROM
• BRADLEY MANNING
a. 23-YEAR-OLD ARMY PRIVATE ON TRIAL FOR VARIOUS OFFENSES
b. HAD ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AS A COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
c. SUSPECTED THAT ASSANGE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF MANNING’S SITUATION AND
GAINED TOP SECRET INFORMATION FROM HIM.
https://wikileaks.org/W
hat-is-Wikileaks.html

7. Why the “Leaks” Happen?
Part of Washington Policy
Making
• Floating a “trial balloon” to the
press
• Mount support for or oppose a
cause
• “Public Good”
When are they ACCEPTABLE?
• Skillfully, making policies and
doing government business.
• OUTCOME of the policy with
anecdotal evidence to support
the conclusion.

8. Does the information have Political Relevance?
(Bruce A. Williams)
4 Part Test:
• Information is USEFUL
• Information is SUFFICIENT
• Information is TRUSTWORTHY
• Who is the “Audience”
Goal for the Media: Transforming society, of empowering
individual citizens to act in ways that promote political
discussion, debate and change. In addition, being a voice to
the voiceless.

9. EVALUATING WITH MILL’S PRINCIPLE
● “The Outcome” or “The Desirable End”
● Does the act serve to increase
pleasure and happiness; Does it
reduce pain and suffering?
● The information that was leaked
helped journalist’s reveal the truth that
was being withheld by an authoritative
government.
● But does it increase pleasure and
happiness knowing a US Apache
helicopter was gunning down Iranian
civilians? NO.

10. Evaluating with Aristotle's Golden Mean
• “The actor”
• Finding what is virtuous and work to develop
virtues.
• Virtue: Trustworthiness
• Assange leaked the information for journalists
to act as a “Watchdog” to the government.
And allow individual citizens the ability to
evaluate their government’s activities

12. REVIEW QUESTIONS:
1.Was Assange being a “watchdog” towards the government and
protecting the US public? OR. Was he interested only in revealing
the secrets of the US? Explain.
2.What is a “trial balloon”?
3.Ethical debate: Should journalist’s use information from WikiLeaks?
4.Bruce A. Williams, four-part test for political relevance. What are
they?
5.True or False: Invading privacy in an attempt to counter a threat is
justified?