Written By: Asia Preston October 29, 2013 To blow the whistle or not? That is the question. Rumors are circulating that George Smith, the citys chief financial officer is under investigation for embezzling thousands of tax-payer dollars. The mayors secretary, Sherrie Betts, has sent security footage to several media outlets which clearly shows George Smith admitting guilt to the mayor and making promises to replace the funds. Betts has asked that the journalists do nothing with the video until she contacts them, but with a deadline fast approaching the pressure is on to be the first to break the story. The ethical issue in this situation is whether the journalist should honor the request of the source or inform the public of the CFOs wrongdoing. Internal factors which influence the journalists decision are the obligations he or she has to the media outlet and the source. The external factors which influence the journalists decision are the obligations to the public, most importantly the publics right to know. All four of the key values written in the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics are applicable in this situation. Journalists are responsible, according to the code, to seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be responsible. The parties impacted by this situation include the media outlet, the public, and the Mayors office. The media outlet itself will be affected because competitors also have access to the video and an outlet could face scrutiny if the other outlets decide to release the information and it does not. The public also will be impacted if the information is released because the embezzled funds were city funds. The mayors office, especially the CFO, mayor and secretary will be impacted by the journalists decision. The secretary will also be affected because she is the source who provided the security footage and the CFO because he is shown admitting to the crime. The mayor would be scrutinized for how effectively he handled the situation after Smiths confession. The most responsible decision for a journalist to make in this situation is to release the information only after allowing George Smith to respond. Doing so follows Aristotles Golden Mean which is finding the desirable middle between two extremes. Allowing Smith to respond also follows the SPJs code of ethics because the reporter is reporting the truth and attempting to minimize harm. The journalist who follows this route may not be the first to release the information, but he or she will likely have the most accurate and ethical presentation of the story.
The Privacy Imperative in The Information Age Free For All' Address by Hon PJ Keating The Centre For Advanced Journalism University of Melbourne 4 August 2010