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Beth Parkes
and
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana
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What's inside
Syllabus
Welcome to Creating Ethical Media And Journalism
A welcome message from Impress Chief Executive Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana and more on what you can expect from the course.
Read more
Syllabus
Welcome to Creating Ethical Media And Journalism
A welcome message from Impress Chief Executive Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana and more on what you can expect from the course.
Read more
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Creating Ethical Media and Journalism.
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Career center
Learners who complete Creating Ethical Media and Journalism will develop knowledge and skills
that may be useful to these careers:
Journalist
Journalist
A journalist is crucial for informing the public, investigating and reporting news to uphold transparency and accountability. The course "Creating Ethical Media and Journalism" is tailor-made for journalists committed to developing their ethical practice, making it an essential foundation for this career. It helps you construct your own ethical framework, vital for navigating real-world dilemmas, and learn "Practices for arriving at truthful reporting," including accuracy and attribution. By focusing on "Gaining trust" and "Protecting people's privacy," this course prepares a journalist to uphold integrity and contribute to a more trustworthy news ecosystem.
Content Creator
Content Creator
A content creator develops engaging material for various platforms, from articles to videos, requiring both creativity and responsibility. As the course specifically targets content creators, it is exceptionally well-suited for those aiming to produce media with integrity. It helps you develop a personal ethical framework, directly applicable to choices in "Ethics in the digital world" and in "Representing your community." This course empowers a content creator to build trust with audiences by embracing truthful reporting and considering the broader impact of their work, ensuring responsible and impactful communication.
Media Ethics Consultant
Media Ethics Consultant
A media ethics consultant advises organizations on best practices and policies to ensure ethical conduct in their content creation and business operations. This career typically requires a master's or doctoral degree. The course "Creating Ethical Media and Journalism" is exceptionally relevant, as it guides learners in developing their own ethical framework for future dilemmas and explores "Building ethics into your business." For a media ethics consultant, this course helps build a foundation in understanding and addressing ethical challenges, from digital world issues to regulatory compliance, across international contexts.
Investigative Reporter
Investigative Reporter
An investigative reporter delves deeply into complex stories, uncovering facts that might otherwise remain hidden, often exposing wrongdoing. For an investigative reporter, navigating profound ethical challenges is constant, and this course helps build the crucial framework needed for such demanding work. It hones skills in "Practices for arriving at truthful reporting" and provides detailed guidance on "Protecting people's privacy" – an acute concern in high-stakes investigations. This course is indispensable for ensuring your rigorous pursuit of truth remains ethically sound, fostering public trust while engaging with sensitive subjects and potential legal ramifications.
Editor
Editor
An editor is the guardian of content quality and integrity, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and adherence to ethical standards before publication. This course is highly relevant for an editor, as it helps build an indispensable ethical framework for overseeing content. It provides detailed understanding of "Practices for arriving at truthful reporting," including defamation and copyright, and explores "Building ethics into your business" — crucial for newsroom leadership. For an editor, this course enhances decision-making on complex ethical issues, guaranteeing responsible and trustworthy media output.
Fact Checker
Fact Checker
A fact checker rigorously verifies information, claims, and data to ensure accuracy and prevent the spread of misinformation, playing a vital role in credible journalism. This course is highly beneficial for a fact checker, as it focuses intensely on "Practices for arriving at truthful reporting," emphasizing accuracy, attribution, and the right to reply. By helping you create an ethical framework and understand how to navigate subjectivity and bias, this course strengthens a fact checker’s ability to uphold journalistic integrity and contribute to a trusted information environment.
Broadcast Producer
Broadcast Producer
A broadcast producer manages the creation of audio and visual content for radio, television, or digital platforms, overseeing everything from concept to delivery. For a broadcast producer, ethical considerations are paramount in shaping public narratives. This course builds an ethical framework to guide production choices, particularly when "Working with vulnerable people" or "Representing your community" in sensitive stories. It explores "Ethics in the digital world" and "Gaining trust," enabling a broadcast producer to create compelling content that is both impactful and ethically sound.
Community Engagement Specialist
Community Engagement Specialist
A community engagement specialist fosters relationships between an organization and the communities it serves, ensuring communication is inclusive and responsive. For a community engagement specialist, understanding ethical representation and communication is paramount. This course helps build an ethical framework, focusing directly on "Representing your community," engaging effectively, and the importance of accessible content. It empowers a community engagement specialist to build genuine trust, navigate diverse perspectives, and ensure that all interactions and communications are conducted with fairness and respect.
Media Policy Analyst
Media Policy Analyst
A media policy analyst researches and evaluates regulations and policies governing media and communication, advising on their ethical implications and societal impact. This career typically requires a master's or doctoral degree. The course "Creating Ethical Media and Journalism" helps build a foundational understanding of the ethical principles underpinning media policy. It explores "rights" and "responsibilities" in publishing, "Protecting people's privacy," and "Ethics in the digital world," all crucial areas for a media policy analyst to critically assess and shape the future of media governance.
Social Media Manager
Social Media Manager
A social media manager develops and executes strategies for an organization's online presence, engaging audiences and managing digital communities. In this role, navigating the rapid flow of information ethically is crucial. This course may be useful for a social media manager, as it delves into "Ethics in the digital world," helping to understand responsible sharing and publishing. It fosters strategies for "Gaining trust" with online audiences and "Representing your community" authentically, providing a framework for ethical decision-making in fast-paced digital environments.
Documentary Filmmaker
Documentary Filmmaker
A documentary filmmaker captures real-life stories to inform, educate, or entertain, often addressing sensitive subjects with profound impact. For a documentary filmmaker, ethical considerations are paramount, especially when working with human subjects. This course helps build a crucial ethical framework, offering detailed guidance on "Working with vulnerable people" and insights into "Representing your community" authentically. By emphasizing "Practices for arriving at truthful reporting" and "Protecting people's privacy," this course prepares a documentary filmmaker to tell compelling stories with integrity and responsibility.
Crisis Communications Specialist
Crisis Communications Specialist
A crisis communications specialist manages an organization's messaging during unforeseen challenges or negative events to protect its reputation. For a crisis communications specialist, ethical decision-making under pressure is critical. This course may be helpful, as it emphasizes "Gaining trust" with audiences and "Practices for arriving at truthful reporting," which are vital when communicating sensitive information. By understanding how to navigate ethical dilemmas and responsibilities in publishing, a crisis communications specialist can guide an organization to communicate transparently and responsibly, upholding integrity during difficult times.
Public Relations Professional
Public Relations Professional
A public relations professional manages communication between an organization and its public, shaping perception and building trust. For a public relations professional, ethical practice is the bedrock of credibility. This course may be helpful, as it emphasizes "Gaining trust" with audiences through responsible communication and explores "Building ethics into your business," offering insights into organizational integrity. Understanding "Practices for arriving at truthful reporting" from a media perspective also enhances a public relations professional's ability to engage effectively and transparently with journalists and the public.
Communications Manager
Communications Manager
A communications manager oversees an organization's internal and external messaging, ensuring consistency and alignment with strategic goals. For a communications manager, upholding ethical standards in all communications is fundamental to maintaining organizational reputation. This course may be useful, as it helps build an ethical framework applicable to broader communication strategies, particularly concerning "Gaining trust" and "Building ethics into your business." Understanding responsible publishing and community representation from this course equips a communications manager to steer messaging that is both impactful and ethically sound.
Digital Content Strategist
Digital Content Strategist
A digital content strategist plans, develops, and manages content initiatives across various online platforms to achieve organizational goals. For a digital content strategist, integrating ethical considerations into content planning is increasingly vital. This course may be useful, as it delves into "Ethics in the digital world" and strategies for "Gaining trust" with online audiences. It helps build an ethical framework for content creation and distribution, ensuring that digital strategies are not only effective but also responsible, inclusive, and uphold the integrity of the organization's online presence.
For more career information including salaries, visit:
OpenCourser.com/course/tjaxv6/creating
Reading list
We've selected 20 books
that we think will supplement your
learning. Use these to
develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a
deeper understanding of the topics covered in
Creating Ethical Media and Journalism.
Is widely considered the 'bible' of journalism ethics and standard textbook at academic institutions globally. It provides a foundational understanding of the principles of truth, verification, and loyalty to the public, which directly supports the course's modules on trust and truthful reporting. Reading this will offer significant depth to the course's discussion on the role of the press in a democratic society.
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Updated in its second edition, this book is an essential reference for the course's module on working with vulnerable people. It provides practical, ethical guidance on reporting on grief, suicide, and sexual assault while maintaining professional boundaries. It is particularly valuable as a current reference for journalists who may find themselves covering traumatic events without prior training.
As the course is developed by UK-based organizations like Huddersfield Sandbox and Impress, this book is the definitive authority on UK media law. It is crucial for understanding the legal aspects of privacy, defamation, and copyright mentioned in the syllabus. It serves as both a prerequisite for professional practice in the UK and a vital reference tool for ethical decision-making.
This comprehensive textbook aligns perfectly with the course's goal of helping creators build their own ethical frameworks. It uses real-world case studies to explore conflicts of interest and the ethics of digital newsgathering. It is highly recommended for those who want more breadth in their understanding of professional codes of conduct.
Written by the former editor-in-chief of The Guardian, this book provides high-level authority on the crisis of trust in modern media. It offers a deep dive into the Leveson Inquiry and the ethics of investigative journalism, which are central themes in the course. It is an excellent supplementary read for understanding the broader news ecosystem and business models.
Is highly relevant to the course module on navigating subjectivity, objectivity, and bias. It challenges traditional notions of 'neutrality' and argues for a more transparent, ethically grounded form of journalism. It provides a contemporary perspective on how to represent marginalized communities effectively.
Save
Key reference for the 'Ethics in the Digital World' module, covering the philosophical foundations of online behavior. It addresses privacy, big data, and the ethics of social media platforms with significant academic rigor. It is more valuable as additional reading for those interested in the theoretical underpinnings of digital communication.
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Published within the last five years, this book addresses the latest technologies mentioned in the digital ethics module. It explores the ethical implications of AI and algorithmic accountability in the newsroom. It necessary reference for journalists looking to understand the future of automated content creation.
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While focused on the US, the ethical and business challenges described are universal and highly relevant to the 'Building Ethics into your Business' module. It highlights the consequences of local news 'deserts' and the ethical duty of publishers to their communities. It concise, impactful read that adds breadth to the course's business discussion.
Provides the philosophical background necessary to answer the course's opening question: 'What are ethics?'. It moves beyond simple codes of conduct to explore moral reasoning and duty. It helpful prerequisite for students who want a more rigorous intellectual foundation before tackling practical dilemmas.
Now in its 11th edition, this book classic industry standard for case-study-based learning. It helps learners practice the 'ethical framework' development required by the course by analyzing real-life dilemmas. It is highly recommended for those who prefer learning through practical application rather than theory alone.
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Bridges the gap between legal requirements and ethical responsibilities, which key focus of the Huddersfield Sandbox course. It useful reference tool for the modules on privacy and truthful reporting. It is frequently used as a textbook for combined law and ethics courses.
Published in 2023, this book focuses specifically on the 'Breaching Privacy' module of the course. It explores how digital technology has changed the boundaries of investigative journalism. It is highly relevant for understanding current ethical standards regarding the publication of private information.
Supports the 'Building Ethics into your Business' module, specifically the section on environmental issues. It discusses the ethical responsibility of journalists to report accurately on the climate crisis. It serves as a specialized reference for journalists looking to improve their environmental coverage.
While the course is for creators, this book focuses on the decision-making process of editors, which is crucial for understanding the 'Building Ethics into your Business' module. It covers advertising pressures and business models. It valuable reference for those moving into management or starting their own media outlets.
This UNESCO handbook globally recognized resource for understanding the threats to truthful reporting. It aligns with the modules on trust and digital technologies. Although published slightly over five years ago, its status as a definitive industry guide makes it highly relevant supplemental reading.
As data becomes more central to reporting, this book provides the ethical framework for using statistics and visualizations. It is highly relevant to the course's focus on accuracy and digital technologies. It is more valuable as additional reading for those pursuing investigative or technical journalism.
Stephen Ward leading authority in journalism ethics, and this 2023 book provides a deep philosophical dive into the concept of objectivity. It supports the module on navigating bias and subjectivity. It challenging but rewarding read for those who want to master the theory of truthful reporting.
Save
Popular academic text that covers the breadth of the course syllabus, from privacy to representation. It includes numerous 'micro-cases' that are useful for individual study or group discussion. It serves as an excellent alternative or supplement to the course's nine modules.
For more information about how these books relate to this course, visit:
OpenCourser.com/course/tjaxv6/creating
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Level
Intermediate
Via
Coursera
Institution
Huddersfield Sandbox
Instructors
Beth Parkes
Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana
Session
November 3, 2025
- January 19, 2026
Language
English
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