Applying Ethics To "The Paper"

Kirsten Kueser
kk500312@ohio.edu

                                          Henry (Michael Keaton) and Alicia (Glenn Close) in The Paper
                                                                   (Source: johnrieber.com)

Ron Howard’s The Paper explores the many ethical dilemmas that arise in journalism. The ethical dilemmas in the film range from the personal issues of a news organization’s employees, to the reporting of breaking news. In analyzing the ethical dilemmas that were present in the film, I referred to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. I will address and analyze the ethical dilemmas regarding the first principle of this Code.

“Seek Truth and Report It”

Under this principle, the Society of Professional Journalists asserts “Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” Throughout the film, journalists covering a story about the arrest of two African-American boys and the murder they have been blamed for. When lead character, Henry gets a tip that the police are covering up something about the case he interviews a police officer. Throughout their interaction, the police officer is unwilling to cooperate, yet leads on that he has information central to the case. Henry threatens to knowingly run wrong information if he does not cooperate. 

This is an ethical dilemma in that Henry must decide whether to remain professional and cover the story without his statement, or push the source for information using underhanded methods of gathering information. According to SJP’s guidelines, a journalist should “avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information unless traditional, open methods will not yield information vital to the public.” In this instance, the police had information that was vital to the public: the teenagers were wrongly arrested. Under SJP’s standards, Henry can still act ethically while gathering information in this unconventional manner.

By the time Henry learns the boys were wrongly accused, the original article without this information had gone to print. Henry attempts to hault the printing of the incorrect information and restart with the updated story. However, Alicia, a journalist that works above Henry, argues that the story was not wrong when it went to print due to the fact that they did not have the information at the time. Henry retorts that the news organization has “never knowingly published a wrong story” until this instance. 

The ethical dilemma that arises in this scene is whether to run an article that or to spend the energy and funds to reprint a story that could simply be corrected the next day. Also under this first principle is the guideline that journalists should “Take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Verify information before releasing it. Use original sources whenever possible.” In referring to this guideline it is apparent that the ethical choice is to reprint and run the correct story in the first place. In knowingly publishing an incorrect article, the news organization would not be taking responsibility for the accuracy of their work. In addition, Alicia would be releasing information that is now unverifiable due to the new information available.

By the film’s resolution, most of the ethical dilemmas that occur are settled with reasoning similar to the guidelines provided by the Society of Professional Journalists. The ethical dilemmas  in The Paper are not uncommon among real news organizations and journalists.