Thinking clearly: cases in journalistic decision-making : teaching notes

Written by professional journalists and classroom-tested at schools of journalism, these case studies are designed to provoke conversation about the issues that shape the production and presentation of the news in the new media age of the twenty-first century.

This is no abstract ethics manual for reporters but rather a survey of real-life moments when people working in the news had to make critical decisions.

In these episodes, questions of craft, ethics, competition, and commerce intertwine, affecting the way we, the consumers of news, understand the world around us.

The case studies cover a range of topics - the commercial imperatives of newsroom culture, standards of verification, the competition of public and private interests, including the question of privacy - in a variety of settings: Watergate, the Richard Jewell case, John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign, and the Columbine shooting, among others.