Character as a Safeguard for Journalists Using Case-Based Ethical Reasoning
International Journal of Applied Philosophy 13 (1):93-104 (1999)
| Abstract | As suggested by David E. Boeyink, casuistry is a promising method for making ethical decisions in journalism because its “case-oriented strategy fits [the] general approach” of many journalists while its stress on consistency guards against arbitrariness. Despite its emphasis on consistency, however, casuistry gives self-interested decision makers enough wiggle room to rationalize whatever is expedient. For this reason, casuistry relies also on character. Yet writers who have studied casuistry have said relatively little about the link between character and casuistry and, when they have, they have focused on the intellectual virtue of phronesis. This article articulates the essential moral virtues necessary to prevent arbitrariness in casuistry when practiced by journalists and demonstrates their relevance in relation to a recent case in which the journalist’s character was a key factor. The article concludes with several strategies for nurturing good character among journalists | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,875 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesDavid E. Boeyink (1992). Casuistry: A Case-Based Methods for Journalists. Journal of Mass Media Ethics 7 (2):107 – 120.
Lee Wilkins (1994). Journalists and the Character of Public Officials/Figures. Journal of Mass Media Ethics 9 (3):157 – 168.
Martin Calkins (2001). Casuistry and the Business Case Method. Business Ethics Quarterly 11 (2):237-259.
Neil Levy (2004). Good Character: Too Little, Too Late. Journal of Mass Media Ethics 19 (2):108 – 118.
Janie Harden Fritz (2011). Casuistry: Case-Based Reasoning for the Ethical Journalist. Journal of Mass Media Ethics 26 (1):88-92.
John D. Arras (1991). Getting Down to Cases: The Revival of Casuistry in Bioethics. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 16 (1):29-51.
Albert R. Jonsen (1991). Casuistry as Methodology in Clinical Ethics. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 12 (4).
Richard Brian Miller (1996). Casuistry and Modern Ethics: A Poetics of Practical Reasoning. University of Chicago Press.
Sandra L. Borden (2000). A Model for Evaluating Journalist Resistance to Business Constraints. Journal of Mass Media Ethics 15 (3):149 – 166.
Theo Van Willigenburg (1998). New Casuistry: What's New? Philosophical Explorations 1 (2):152 – 164.
Hugo Adam Bedau (1997). Making Mortal Choices: Three Exercises in Moral Casuistry. Oxford University Press.
Sandra L. Borden (2000). Foreword. Journal of Mass Media Ethics 15 (3):147 – 148.
Paul S. Voakes (1997). Social Influences on Journalists' Decision Making in Ethical Situations. Journal of Mass Media Ethics 12 (1):18 – 35.
Joel Kupperman (1991). Character. Oxford University Press.
Eric B. Beresford (1996). Can Phronesis Save the Life of Medical Ethics? Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 17 (3).
Analytics
Monthly downloads
Sorry, there are not enough data points to plot this chart.
|
Added to index2011-12-02Total downloads0Recent downloads (6 months)0How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
