The Ethical Journalist (Short Course)

Course overview

Or ... how to answer the knotty ethical questions every journalist confronts ...

The course asks challenging questions about 21st Century journalism and has some surprising answers. Journalism is a universal subject – so its ethical reach is vast. The same emotional issues that confront people in the tabloids often lurk in Tolstoy, but the popular press is often accused of manipulating emotions and reality. Even our most prestigious news organizations have impassioned rows over ethical issues:

• Is it right to call the 9/11 bombers 'terrorists'?
• Should audiences be shown the grisly reality of wars?
• Why should a drive-by shooting in America grab bigger headlines than an earthquake in Asia?

Can journalists be more casual in their approach to being moral guardians, when pornography, beheadings, and other morally offensive material are just a few mouse clicks away? The purpose of the course is to provide answers to knotty ethical problems that confront professional journalists. This will be done through case studies and applying moral reasoning to answer complex ethical questions.

How you study ...

• Designed to be flexible to the needs of working professionals, this course has been designed so it minimises your time away from the workplace. You would just need to join us for two days (in Bournemouth). These two-days will kick-start the course and will give you a chance to meet your fellow students and engage with the academic team. It will be an intensive two-days, but will be a valuable learning experience, giving you the opportunity to share ideas with like-minded professionals.
• The workshops provide a firm foundation for the following seven weeks where you will explore the concepts in more detail - using our online learning environment and discussion forums.
• The online element of the course helps to prepare you for the academic assignment. On successful completion of this assignment you will be awarded 20 academic credits (M level - Masters/Postgraduate level). These credits can be built upon by undertaking other short courses with us, working towards your own tailored postgraduate qualification.