Question

complying journalistic ethics
marine captain is accusing a major news networks
nalist of lying in a story. the journalist, who was with
larines on patrol, wrote that the helicopter he was in
under sniper fire.
journalist admits to his producers that he
bellished the story. the journalist was not under fire,
other choppers behind him were struck. the
ucers want to minimize the damage to the network
are unsure how to proceed.
what is the most ethical action for the network to take?
o have the journalist give the accurate account of the
incident and apologize for lying to viewers
o have the journalist report on air that he was
confused and \misreported\ the incident
o offer a settlement to the marine captain for
withdrawing his accusation
o ask the journalist to discredit the marine captain by
discussing the captains poor leadership in a new
story

Explanation:

Ethical journalism requires truth - telling and accountability. The first option has the journalist give an accurate account and apologize, which upholds truth (as the journalist lied initially) and takes responsibility. The second option ("misreported" as a euphemism for lying) is dishonest. Offering a settlement to withdraw an accusation (third option) is about avoiding conflict rather than ethical truth - telling. The fourth option (discrediting the captain) is unethical as it is a form of retaliation rather than addressing the journalist's own wrong.

Answer:

have the journalist give the accurate account of the incident and apologize for lying to viewers