Date of Award

4-1-1989

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Dr. Hugh Cowdin

Abstract

Those outside of the journalism field sometimes are surprised to learn journalists profess to ethics. A fellow graduate student, upon having been assigned a research paper on journalism ethics, commented that she did not realize journalists attempt to be ethical. Looking back on the history of journalism, that view is easy to understand. Journalists have been “yellow” (i.e., sensationalist), bought by news sources and untruthful in order to win a Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps journalism’s somewhat scarred reputation has led to an increase in interest in journalism ethics during the past two decades. Professional trade journals favor the topic, while professional organizations and societies have been updating their ethical codes.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of Communication and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright 1989 Jane Campbell-Konnath.

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