The Ethics of Journalism

Introduction

Welcome, young journalists!

In today’s world of non-stop news and viral content, how do we know what’s true, fair, and responsible? Journalism isn’t just about telling stories, t’s about doing it with integrity. This WebQuest will guide you through the core values of ethical journalism: honesty, accountability, fairness, and truth. Your mission? To become a journalist who the world can trust.

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Task

You are an investigative journalist for a youth digital newspaper. Your assignment is to write a short news article (300–400 words) on a current topic of your choice (ex: environment, war, education), but you must follow the ethical principles of journalism.

You will explore real-life codes of ethics, analyze examples of ethical vs unethical reporting, and finally create your article with a short reflection on how you applied ethical standards.

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Process

Step 1: Watch

Watch this short video to understand what journalism ethics are:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD6S2aK8jPA

Step 2: Research

Choose a news topic (e.g. school safety, AI in daily life, recycling) and research trustworthy sources—avoid biased or sensational websites.

Step 3: Draft Your Article

Using Google Docs or Microsoft Word, write a 300–400 word news article that:

  • Covers real facts from real sources

  • Respects privacy and avoids bias

  • Does not include misinformation

Step 5: Ethics Reflection

Below your article, add a short paragraph explaining how you followed journalism ethics.

Step 6: Submit

Upload your article to the class folder and present a 2-minute summary next class.

 

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Evaluation

Your final product will be graded as follows (10 pts total):

Criteria Points
Article Content & Structure 4 pts
Application of Ethics 2 pts
Use of Reliable Sources 2 pts
Grammar & Formatting 2 pts



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Conclusion

Great job, reporter!

You’ve learned that journalism isn’t just about speed or breaking news, it’s about trust. The best journalists follow ethics to protect people’s rights and maintain the truth. Whether you're writing for the school paper or posting on social media, your words matter. Choose them wisely.

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Credits
Teacher Page

Title:

The Ethics of Journalism – Sarah Issa

🧠 Target Learners:

Grade 10 students in English, Media Studies, or Social Studies classes.

🎯 Learning Objectives:

By the end of this WebQuest, students will be able to:

  • Understand the importance of ethics in journalism.

  • Identify key ethical principles such as truth, fairness, accuracy, and responsibility.

  • Analyze how ethics apply to real-world journalism scenarios.

  • Create an original article that reflects ethical journalism practices.

📊 Evaluation/Grading Rubric:

Criteria Points
Article Content & Structure 4 pts
Application of Ethics 2 pts
Use of Reliable Sources 2 pts
Grammar & Formatting 2 pts
Total 10 pts

 

NOTE: I tried so many different ways to add my images and nothing was working, so I added the links. 

 

🧾 Resources: