Knight Center completes online course on Ethics in Journalism for a Digital Age

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas hosted the online course “Journalism Ethics for a Digital Age,” from Nov. 8 to Dec. 4, 2010. The four-week course, conducted by Professor Edward Wasserman, was for reporters and editors from Latin America and the Caribbean who speak, write, and read English at the intermediate level.

The course was designed to help journalists deal with ethical issues that arise in the practice of journalism. It offered an introduction to the major moral and philosophical themes and served as a practical guide for solving some of the complex problems that journalists face using real-world cases and models. It also examined problems that arise in the new media environment and suggested forms of using traditional values for dealing with issues of technological innovation.

The course was free of charge and conducted entirely online. It was divided into weekly modules that contained audiovisual presentations, documents and online resources. It also included weekly exercises, online discussions and forums and additional assignments. Students worked at their own pace, according to their own schedule, and were expected to complete weekly assignments. Those who completed the course satisfactorily will receive a certificate of participation from the Knight Center.

Edward Wasserman is a Knight Chair and ethics professor at Washington and Lee University of Lexington, Va. His specialties include technological changes, media control, plagiarism, source confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. The course was assisted by Paul Alonso, a Peruvian journalist and a University of Texas at Austin doctoral student.

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas at Austin was launched in 2002 by professor Rosental Calmon Alves. Thanks to generous grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the center has assisted thousands of journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information, contact the Knight Center’s program manager, Jennifer Potter-Miller at jpottermiller@mail.utexas.edu or +1 512 471-1391.