Before proceeding to the cases studies, be sure you have read thoroughly the first three parts. For the Snowden Interns, cases will be assigned. Use the following process in working through the assignments.
1. Read through the case study. Most are relatively short.
2. Jot down any questions you have once you have read the case.
3. Go over the Worksheet briefly. See if any of the questions you may have can be answered by considering the steps of the Worksheet.
4. If the case is accompanied by questions, now try to answer them.
5. Once you have used the Worksheet to analyze the case, answer all the questions and share the case with your editor or the person at the paper you work most closely with.
- Before you show them what you have come up with, ask them what they would have done and why.
- Now share your response to the case with them and see if you have reached any common ground.
- Take note of any differences in either approach, analysis, or decision. Why do think those differences exist?
The following case studies all deal with various journalism issues having an ethical component. For all cases, use the Ethical Worksheet to do a complete analysis. Some cases are also accompanied by questions. Answer the questions separately after you've done the worksheet analysis. In most cases, doing the analysis will help you answer the questions.
Most of these cases are based on actual situations, written and adapted for this workbook by Carrie Packwood Freeman, Tom Bivins, and Pete Peterson at the University of Oregon. We thank the many reporters, photographers and editors, many originally from Oregon newspapers, who shared their stories for your evaluation. We’ve edited their submissions somewhat and often changed names – mostly to simplify the facts and protect privacy.
Case studies are organized into the following sections:
