Editing Journalism Ethics (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Applying</span> ==
'''Modeling 'The Ethics Filter' (Should I Publish?):'''
<syntaxhighlight lang="python">
def ethical_decision(is_true, is_public_interest, harm_level):
    """
    A simple logic gate for an editor.
    harm_level: 1 (low) to 10 (high)
    """
    if not is_true:
        return "REJECT: False information must never be published."
    
    if is_public_interest:
        if harm_level < 8:
            return "PUBLISH: The public needs to know, even if it hurts."
        else:
            return "DELAY: Seek ways to report without causing extreme harm."
    else:
        return "REJECT: This is gossip, not journalism."

# Scenario: A secret video of a CEO being rude to staff
print(ethical_decision(True, True, 3))
# This logic is what separates a 'Journalist' from a 'Vlogger'.
</syntaxhighlight>

; Ethical Landmarks
: '''The Pentagon Papers (1971)''' → The Supreme Court ruled that the "Public's Right to Know" about the Vietnam War was more important than the government's desire for secrecy.
: '''Watergate''' → Showing the power of "Anonymous Sources" (Deep Throat) to bring down a corrupt President.
: '''The Rolling Stone 'Rape on Campus' Story''' → A massive ethical failure where a journalist failed to verify a source's story, destroying trust in the magazine.
: '''The Panama Papers''' → Hundreds of journalists working together across borders to expose global corruption while carefully protecting their sources.
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