This presentation reviews the syllabus for JNL-2105, Journalism Ethics, Professor Linda Austin's class at the National Management College, Yangon, Myanmar, starting June 1, 2015.

1. SYLLABUS
REVIEW
JNL 2105, Journalism Ethics
Professor Linda Austin
National Management College
June 2015

2. Ask questions, please!
Professor Linda Austin
laustin.nmc@gmail.com
Photo by Gareth Simpson

3. What are ethics?

4. What are ethics?
Ethics: A set of moral principles, a
code – often unwritten – that
guides a person’s moral conduct.
Ethics is more than just discerning
the difference between right and
wrong; it requires acting on what is
right.

5. What are ethics?

6. Why do ethics matter?
“Journalists need to be
professionalized…to rise to the
Burmese media’s new
ambitions after half a century without
freedom.”
--Reporters Without Borders

7. Learning
objectives:
• Identify the
principles of
news media
ethics
• Describe
several
methods for
resolving
ethical
questions in
journalism.
• Apply those
principles and
methods to
ethical
situations that
journalists
encounter.

8. History
“If I do
wrong,
write about
me….No
one shall
take action
against the
journals
for telling
the truth.”
– King
Mindon

9. Applied
ethics
• Use real
cases
• How
journalists
make
decisions
and how they
should make
decisions
• Tools to
make better
ethical
decisions

10. Required
materials:
Textbook:
The Ethical
Journalist:
Making
Responsible
Decisions in the
Pursuit of News

11. Required
materials:
Follow the
news:
• BBC
Facebook
• Irrawaddy
Facebook

12. Other
materials:
Follow the
news:
• Burmanet.org

13. Required
materials:
• Free Quizlet
app for
vocabulary
study
• Glossary
handout for
The Ethical
Journalist

14. Required
materials:
• Media Code
of Conduct
by the
Myanmar
Press
Council
(Interim)
• U.S. Society
of
Professional
Journalists
Code of
Ethics

15. Four
memos on
case
studies:
Facts will be given in the
case. Memo includes:
1. Background of the
case
2. Ethical philosophies
and processed
considered
3. Alternatives with
pros and cons
4. Recommended
actions
No more than two pages

16. Four
memos on
case
studies:
How the memos will
be graded:
1. Issue spotting
2. Quality of analysis
3. Quality and clarity
of
recommendations
4. Writing

17. Class
participation
• Asking
questions and
participating in
discussions
helps others.
• Class
participation
will be part of
your final
grade.

18. Weekly
quizzes
• Short quiz
each Monday
on readings
we discussed
during the
previous week.

19. Midterm
exam
• Midterm exam
during the
week of July
13 on readings
and lectures
up until then.

20. Final
exam
Two parts to final
exam:
1. The fourth
memo on a
case study is
the take-home
portion of the
final exam.
2. In class, you
will write a
similar memo
on a case
study.

21. Deadlines
• No late
assignments
will be
accepted.
• You will
receive a
zero.

22. Attendance:
• No excused
absences
• Late is the same as
absent.
• You are allowed two
absences without
penalty.
• After two absences,
your final grade will
drop by 3 marks for
every absence.

23. Final grade
• Weekly quizzes
• Class participation
• Midterm exam
• Final exam,
including the fourth
memo
• Three other memos

24. Classroom
etiquette
• Cell phones off.
• No interrupting.
Photo by MyDoorSign.com

25. Academic
integrity
• No cheating
• No fabricating –
making things
up
• No plagiarizing
– using
someone else’s
words or ideas
without giving
them credit

26. Sensitive-
material
advisory
• Graphic photos
• Rough
language
• Ethnic slurs

27. Course
schedule
• Read
textbook
assignments
before the
week
dedicated to
that topic.
• Most
Mondays, a
quiz on
readings and
lectures
discussed in
the previous
week

28. Ask questions, please!
Professor Linda Austin
laustin.nmc@gmail.com
Photo by Gareth Simpson