Answer: D. Responsible editorial decisions. Media ethics helps communicators make responsible decisions about gathering, editing, and presenting information.
Which standard should journalists place above a dramatic storyline?
A Truth and accuracy
B Speed and spectacle
C Popularity and trendiness
D Audience size
Answer: A. Truth and accuracy. RTDNA emphasizes truth and accuracy, including verification and context, even under deadline pressure.
How can a reporter verify a significant claim?
A Repeat it widely
B Trust a viral post
C Check evidence and sources
D Rely on one rumor
Answer: C. Check evidence and sources. Verification checks whether evidence supports a claim instead of merely repeating what someone says.
Before publishing a source’s claim, what should a journalist examine?
A The source’s clothing
B How the source knows
C The headline’s length
D The post’s color
Answer: B. How the source knows. Evaluating a source includes asking how they know the information and whether it can be independently confirmed.
Which evidence can independently corroborate a source?
A Records or documents
B A repeated rumor
C A matching slogan
D A popularity count
Answer: A. Records or documents. Documents, records, or other independent sources can help confirm or challenge a source’s account.
Why ask about a source’s motive?
A Choose a camera lens
B Set the publication time
C Measure sound quality
D Assess possible bias
Answer: D. Assess possible bias. A source’s interests or incentives can affect what they share, so journalists should consider motive alongside evidence.
When using an anonymous source, what should a reporter explain?
A The source’s home address
B Every private detail
C Why anonymity was granted
D An unverified allegation
Answer: C. Why anonymity was granted. Explaining why a source is anonymous helps audiences judge the reporting and its limitations.
What does source confidentiality help protect?
A A reporter’s headline
B Trust and source safety
C A media schedule
D An advertiser’s slogan
Answer: B. Trust and source safety. Confidentiality can protect a source who could face harm for providing information, while supporting trust.
Why distinguish verified facts from claims?
A Make stories longer
B Avoid source checks
C Guarantee agreement
D Show what is confirmed
Answer: D. Show what is confirmed. Clear attribution and labels help audiences tell confirmed information from allegations or unverified claims.
Which practice supports transparent reporting?
A Explain methods and limits
B Hide all uncertainty
C Omit relevant context
D Remove source attribution
Answer: A. Explain methods and limits. Transparency about methods, motives, and limitations helps audiences assess credibility.
What is a journalistic conflict of interest?
A A disagreement between sources
B Personal interest affecting judgment
C A change in schedule
D A difference in camera angles
Answer: B. Personal interest affecting judgment. A conflict exists when personal, financial, or other interests could compromise or appear to compromise editorial judgment.
How should journalists handle a relevant conflict?
A Conceal the relationship
B Accept more gifts
C Disclose or step aside
D Change the story facts
Answer: C. Disclose or step aside. Disclosure and, when necessary, recusal can protect editorial independence and audience trust.
Which principle keeps reporting independent from sponsors?
A Editorial independence
B Audience frequency
C Program scheduling
D Public relations
Answer: A. Editorial independence. Editorial independence protects news decisions from improper commercial, political, or personal influence.
Why seek perspectives beyond the first two sources?
A Create artificial balance
B Repeat a rumor
C Delay verification
D Understand more relevant viewpoints
Answer: D. Understand more relevant viewpoints. Important stories may involve more than two perspectives; journalists should seek relevant voices without implying every claim is equally supported.
Does fairness require giving equal weight to every claim?
A Yes, always split coverage
B No, weigh the evidence
C Only for viral claims
D Only when sources agree
Answer: B. No, weigh the evidence. Fairness means evaluating evidence and context; it does not require presenting unsupported claims as equal to well-supported facts.
What does minimizing harm require?
A Suppress every difficult fact
B Publish every private detail
C Weigh foreseeable consequences
D Avoid public-interest stories
Answer: C. Weigh foreseeable consequences. Ethical reporting considers foreseeable effects on people while also weighing the public interest in the information.
Why treat private people carefully in coverage?
A They have stronger privacy interests
B They control every headline
C They cannot be interviewed
D They are always anonymous
Answer: A. They have stronger privacy interests. The SPJ Code recognizes that private people generally have greater interests in controlling personal information than public figures.
When covering a vulnerable person, what deserves special care?
A Only audience clicks
B Safety, dignity, and privacy
C Only story length
D Only publication timing
Answer: B. Safety, dignity, and privacy. Children, victims, vulnerable adults, and others may need extra consideration of safety, dignity, and privacy.
Before recording a sensitive interview, what should a journalist clarify?
A A guaranteed headline
B A positive quotation
C A private password
D Purpose and possible risks
Answer: D. Purpose and possible risks. Explaining the interview’s purpose and considering possible risks supports informed, respectful newsgathering.
How should a reporter handle a direct quotation?
A Change its intent
B Remove needed context
C Preserve its meaning
D Invent missing words
Answer: C. Preserve its meaning. Quotes should not be altered in ways that change meaning or mislead the audience.
Why include context around a statement?
A Prevent a misleading impression
B Increase font size
C Hide the speaker
D Replace verification
Answer: A. Prevent a misleading impression. Context helps audiences understand what a statement means and what relevant information surrounds it.
Which action is plagiarism?
A Quoting with attribution
B Linking to a source
C Claiming another’s work
D Correcting a typo
Answer: C. Claiming another’s work. Plagiarism misrepresents another person’s words or work as original and fails to give proper credit.
What should accompany material taken from another source?
A A hidden watermark
B Clear attribution
C An unrelated headline
D A private message
Answer: B. Clear attribution. Attribution identifies the source of information or creative material so audiences can assess it.
How should an editor handle a materially altered news image?
A Present it as untouched
B Remove its caption
C Claim it is live
D Disclose the alteration
Answer: D. Disclose the alteration. Visual alterations that change meaning can mislead viewers and should be clearly disclosed or avoided.
Why avoid staging a news scene?
A It can deceive audiences
B It improves lighting
C It reduces file size
D It speeds editing
Answer: A. It can deceive audiences. Staging or dramatizing events can make audiences believe something occurred when it did not.
Which headline is ethically stronger?
A Sensational but unverified
B Certain despite unknowns
C Accurate and supported
D More dramatic than facts
Answer: C. Accurate and supported. A headline should accurately reflect the reporting and avoid overstating what is known.
When should commentary be distinguished from reporting?
A Only after a correction
B Whenever content includes opinion
C Only in print
D Never on social media
Answer: B. Whenever content includes opinion. Clear labels help audiences distinguish reporting, analysis, and opinion.
What should journalists do with a sponsored article?
A Present it as independent
B Hide the sponsor
C Blend it into reporting
D Label it prominently
Answer: D. Label it prominently. Sponsored content should be recognizable as paid material and kept distinct from independent journalism.
Why can commercial endorsements undermine journalism?
A They improve verification
B They remove editorial pressure
C They create conflicts of interest
D They clarify every source
Answer: C. They create conflicts of interest. Paid endorsements can compromise or appear to compromise a journalist’s credibility and independence.
How can gifts from sources affect coverage?
A Create perceived conflicts
B Guarantee source accuracy
C Improve audience context
D Replace independent research
Answer: A. Create perceived conflicts. Gifts or special treatment can create real or perceived conflicts and erode independence.
Before sharing a trending post, what should a journalist do?
A Trust its popularity
B Repeat it without context
C Assume it is accurate
D Verify it independently
Answer: D. Verify it independently. Popularity or virality does not verify accuracy; social media information should be checked before sharing.
What does a prompt correction demonstrate?
A A guarantee against error
B Accountability to audiences
C A refusal to explain
D An advertising strategy
Answer: B. Accountability to audiences. Prompt corrections show responsibility for published work and help audiences see what changed.
How prominently should a correction appear?
A Only in a private note
B At the page bottom
C As prominently as the error
D Only on another platform
Answer: C. As prominently as the error. RTDNA ethics guidance says corrections should receive prominence comparable to the original error.
When facts are incomplete, how should a story describe them?
A State what remains unknown
B Fill gaps with guesses
C Present speculation as fact
D Hide missing evidence
Answer: A. State what remains unknown. Clearly describing uncertainty prevents audiences from mistaking incomplete information for established fact.
Which habit helps journalists avoid false balance?
A Give every claim equal proof
B Weigh claims by evidence
C Count sources only
D Follow online popularity
Answer: B. Weigh claims by evidence. Journalists can present relevant competing perspectives while accurately describing how well each claim is supported.
Why preserve a clear separation between news and advertising?
A Increase ad frequency
B Hide paid influence
C Reduce audience choice
D Protect editorial credibility
Answer: D. Protect editorial credibility. Separating commercial content from independent reporting helps audiences understand who is responsible for each message.
What should a journalist do when an error is discovered?
A Delete the correction
B Blame the audience
C Correct it promptly
D Ignore the record
Answer: C. Correct it promptly. Ethical codes call for acknowledging mistakes and correcting them promptly and transparently.
Which ethical principle asks journalists to explain their decisions?
A Accountability and transparency
B Audience growth
C Commercial parity
D Editorial speed
Answer: A. Accountability and transparency. The SPJ Code’s accountability principle encourages journalists to explain decisions and respond to concerns.
Why listen to criticism from the public?
A Guarantee approval
B Find errors and reconsider choices
C Avoid explaining decisions
D Replace fact-checking
Answer: B. Find errors and reconsider choices. Feedback can reveal errors or concerns and support reflection, correction, and clearer explanations.
When using a hidden camera, what ethical test is important?
A Higher audience ratings
B A dramatic scene
C A sponsor request
D Great significance and no alternative
Answer: D. Great significance and no alternative. RTDNA guidance treats deceptive newsgathering as exceptional and asks whether a significant story can be told without it.
Why take extra care with graphic content?
A Increase shock value
B Reduce unnecessary harm
C Hide the story’s subject
D Guarantee more clicks
Answer: B. Reduce unnecessary harm. Editors should weigh the public interest against the potential harm of showing graphic material.
How can a journalist assess source reliability?
A Count social followers
B Check track record and evidence
C Trust confident wording
D Use the first search result
Answer: B. Check track record and evidence. Evaluating reliability includes checking a source’s history, evidence, motives, and independent corroboration.
What is one reason to verify user-generated video?
A Confirm origin and context
B Increase its reach
C Remove the uploader’s credit
D Make it appear live
Answer: A. Confirm origin and context. Verification checks who created or first shared material and whether its time, location, and context are accurate.
Should a journalist publish every fact that is legally available?
A Yes, every time
B Only if it is viral
C Only after an ad
D No, consider public interest
Answer: D. No, consider public interest. The right to publish information does not mean it is always ethical to do so; editors should consider relevance and harm.
Are professional journalism ethics codes usually laws?
A No, they guide practice
B Yes, all are statutes
C Only for online news
D Only for editors
Answer: A. No, they guide practice. Codes such as SPJ’s provide professional guidance and are not themselves legally enforceable.
Which principle places public service above personal interests?
A Personal branding
B Audience targeting
C Journalistic independence
D Commercial promotion
Answer: C. Journalistic independence. Independence helps journalists serve the public interest instead of private, political, or commercial interests.
What should guide an ethical decision throughout reporting?
A Speed and popularity
B Truth, fairness, and consequences
C Sponsor preference
D A single source’s demand
Answer: B. Truth, fairness, and consequences. Ethical judgment applies throughout story selection, newsgathering, production, presentation, and delivery.
When a newsroom corrects a significant error, what should it do?
A Remove audience comments
B Wait for another outlet
C Edit without a note
D Correct promptly and clearly
Answer: D. Correct promptly and clearly. A prompt, transparent correction helps audiences understand what was wrong and what is accurate.
Before sharing graphic material, which ethical test is essential?
A Would it go viral?
B Public interest and harm
C Does a sponsor approve?
D Can it be posted first?
Answer: B. Public interest and harm. Editors should weigh the material’s public value against likely harm to people shown and audiences.
When should a journalist disclose a personal conflict?
A Only after publication
B When an editor asks
C When it may affect trust
D Never, if true
Answer: C. When it may affect trust. Disclosure lets audiences assess relevant interests that could compromise perceived independence.