Thinking Clearly

These case studies are not intended as a manual of ethics. They are about real-life moments in which those who work in the news had to make critical decisions. In such instances--as we hope readers will discover for themselves--questions of craft, ethics, competition, and commerce intertwine. Ethics, to some extent, forces one to draw artificial distinctions; when taught separately, it can make the subject of professional responsibility seem subordinate or even superfluous.

These cases are designed to encourage readers to think more deeply about the reasoning behind and the implications involved in the journalistic choices they illustrate.

In developing this project, we first consulted those who use the case study method in other fields, principally law and business. Next, we assembled a team of respected journalism teachers, editors, and reporters to help in the initial planning phase. We began by identifying a list of critical issues and journalistic skills to be addressed. It included such categories as private life versus public good, economics versus the public interest, verification and best practices, and the role of journalism and newsroom culture. Each of these broad themes was then broken down into more specific categories, such as the question of timing and the role of technology.

The group then selected cases from a range of topics, localities, and media types that would address those issues. For instance, the McCarthyism case study involves issues of competition and verification. The Minnesota basketball cheating case considers the public's right to know coupled with questions of verification and timing.

The authors spent months researching, writing, and editing their cases. Unlike traditional reporting, case studies are not written with the key findings at the top--just the reverse. The authors do not give away the final outcomes or implications until the end. In this way, readers can think through the decision- making process themselves without having the final outcome already in mind.

Next came development of the teaching notes, a process that began with the authors raising the questions they considered important. The academic advisers then added the perspective of their teaching experience. Finally, each case was "lab taught" at several different journalism schools to take account of feedback from teachers and students.

Our team of designers, writers, and editors is a large one. In addition to the authors, whose biographies appear at the back of the book, James W Carey; CBS Professor of International Journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and Richard Roth, associate dean of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University; were academic advisers to the project. Jim Dickenson, former political editor of the Washington Post, and Cleve Matthews, former reporter at the New York Times and news director at National Public Radio, served as editorial advisers.

We also wish to thank the numerous teachers who have taught the cases and shared their insights. We are grateful to Tom Avila at the Project for Excellence in Journalism, who helped with the graphic design of the cases as they were initially presented on the Web and in written form.

This book would not have been possible without the financial support of the Pew Charitable Trusts, which funded the effort, and the continuing faith and support of Rebecca Rimel and Don Kimelman at Pew.

Finally, we remember Eileen Shanahan, a design team member whose enthusiasm and intellect helped inform the effort and who passed away during its final stages.