Ethics Assignment

1. I believe that the editor, Steven Smith, referred to the story as legitimate if they were to talk about the Mayor's scandal because that is what sells in news these days. The past of reporting strictly on fact is diminishing, and entertainment is becoming more important. If the reporter were able to find out information about the scandal, the public would most likely be more interested in the story. Although I feel that it is an unethical approach, I believe that that is what was meant by the statement.

2. Bill Morlin justified the operation by saying that there was no rule against hiring an outside person to help them get their story or information. He claimed that as long as what they did was legal, which in this case it was, there should be no problem with what they did to get the story. He claims that the purpose was to find the truth, and the reason he wanted the truth is so he could report it for his story to the public. The reason Morlin didn't create the identity himself is because it goes against the code of ethics for the newspaper. This is why he felt it was okay to use the approach he did, as long as he wasn't technically doing it himself.

3. I think The Spokesman Review published so many articles on the Mayor's scandal because it was a big story to hit a town where not a lot of scandal, at least publicly, occurs. It isn't a very small town, but it isn't a major city either, so people could relate to the story, and felt like they were involved. Because it was something that was so controversial, the paper knew that it would attract a lot of readers.

4. I don't think that the story benefited anybody. All that it really did was cause a lot of drama for the city of Spokane, bring a lot of stress to West, not to mention ruining his career, and it also could have effected Spokane's gay community negatively. I feel that it is not ethical to run stories until they are completely proven as fact; especially in a situation that threatens so many people. From this, the newspaper temporarily got more readers, and that is about it. I do not believe it was worth it for them, because it ultimately hurt more people than it did anyone good.

5. I do feel there are ethical problems with this story. What stood out to me is that it seems to be one sided. I feel that in order to write a story such as this, both sides need to be presented clearly and equally. By only talking about one negative side, it makes it hard for readers to form their own opinion.