Journalism as Practice (Ashgate Studies in Applied Ethics)

180 Pages·2007·0.7 MB·English

by  Sandra L. Borden

JOURNALISM AS PRACTICE
The process of turning the news into just another product has been going on since
at least the nineteenth century. But this process of commodification has accelerated
since a few, publicly owned conglomerates have come to dominate the global media
market. The emphasis on the bottom line has resulted in newsroom budget cuts and
other business strategies that seriously endanger good journalism. Meanwhile, the
growing influence of the Internet and partisan commentary has led even journalists
themselves to question their role.
In this book, Sandra L. Borden analyzes the ethical bind of public-minded journalists
using Alasdair MacIntyre’s account of a ‘practice.’ She suggests that MacIntyre’s
framework helps us to see how journalism is normatively defined by the pursuit of
goods appropriate to its purpose – and how money and other ‘external’ goods threaten
that pursuit. Borden argues that developing and promoting the kind of robust group
identity implied by the idea of a practice can help journalism better withstand the
moral challenges posed by commodification.
This book applies MacIntyre’s virtue theory to journalism with philosophical rigor,
and at the same time is informed by the most current thinking from communication
and other disciplines, including organizational studies and sociology.
Ashgate Studies in Applied Ethics
Scandals in medical research and practice; physicians unsure how to manage new
powers to postpone death and reshape life; business people operating in a world with
few borders; damage to the environment; concern with animal welfare – all have
prompted an international demand for ethical standards which go beyond matters of
personal taste and opinion.
The Ashgate Studies in Applied Ethics series presents leading international research
on the most topical areas of applied and professional ethics. Focusing on professional,
business, environmental, medical and bio-ethics, the series draws from many diverse
interdisciplinary perspectives including: philosophical, historical, legal, medical,
environmental and sociological. Exploring the intersection of theory and practice,
books in this series will prove of particular value to researchers, students, and
practitioners worldwide.
Series Editors:
Ruth Chadwick, Cardiff Law School, Cardiff University, UK
Dr David Lamb, Honorary Reader in Bioethics, University of Birmingham, UK
Professor Michael Davis, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA
Other titles in the series include:
Edited by Nikolaus Knoepffler, Dagmar Schipanski and Stefan Lorenz Sorgner
Humanbiotechnology as Social Challenge
An Interdisciplinary Introduction to Bioethics
Stan van Hooft
Caring About Health
Stephen Coleman
The Ethics of Artificial Uteruses
Implications for Reproduction and Abortion
Charlotte McDaniel
Organizational Ethics
Research and Ethical Environments
Journalism as Practice
MacIntyre, Virtue Ethics and the Press
SANDRA L. BORDEN
Western Michigan University, USA
© Sandra L. Borden 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Sandra L. Borden has asserted her moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company
Gower House Suite 420
Croft Road 101 Cherry Street
Aldershot Burlington, VT 05401-4405
Hampshire GU11 3HR USA
England
Ashgate website: http://www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Borden, Sandra L.
Journalism as practice : MacIntyre, virtue ethics and the
press. - (Ashgate studies in applied ethics)
1. MacIntyre, Alasdair C. 2. Journalistic ethics
I. Title
174.9’0704

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Borden, Sandra L., 1963-
Journalism as practice : MacIntyre, virtue ethics and the press / Sandra L. Borden.
p. cm. -- (Ashgate studies in applied ethics)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7546-6060-6 (hardcover) 1. Journalistic ethics. I. Title.
PN4756.B66 2007
174’.9097--dc22
2007013123
ISBN-13: 9780754660606
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter 1 Ethics and the Commodification of Journalism 1
Chapter 2 Journalism as Practice 15
Chapter 3 The Tradition of Journalism 31
Practically Speaking:
The Legacy of a Key Character in Journalism 46
Chapter 4 A Theory of Journalism 49
Chapter 5 Practice-Sustaining Virtues 65
Practically Speaking:
Newsweek and the Breakdown of Intellectual Reliability 81
Chapter 6 The Practice’s Role as a Moral Community 87
Practically Speaking:
Janet Cooke, Moral Evaluation, and Journalism’s Moral
Community 101
Chapter 7 Professionalism and the Practice 105
Practically Speaking:
Boundary Marking After “Memogate” 121
Chapter 8 A Common Cause 125
Bibliography 143
Index 159
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List of Figures
Figure 2.1 Teleological structure of practices 23
Figure 4.1 Distinguishing marks of journalism as practice 50
Figure 8.1 Managers’ ideal orientations to profit and quality 134
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List of Tables
Table 2.1 Requirements for a practice 27
Table 4.1 Civic functions promoted by excellent news 57
Table 5.1 Practice-sustaining virtues in journalism 80
Table 6.1 Ethical model of resistance in news organizations 98