While trying to come up with a topic for this paper I stumbled upon the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) website (http://www.spj.org/). There I found an extensive library of case studies and ethical questions revolving around journalism. The one that stood out to me the most was how to deal with criminal records found during background checks. I learned that background checks are a standard procedure taken for almost every article written by a journalist. They are given to everyone to ensure fairness, and eliminate prejudice. The results of background checks can change the entire nature of a story, or better reinforce the reporters perspective. However, the journalist needs to make sure they are taking an ethical approach to their work. They are dealing with peoples reputations and lives.

There were several examples presented on the Society of Professional Journalists website (http://www.spj.org/rrr.asp?ref=2&t=ethics) where the ethical nature of the background checks were in question. One reporter was writing an article on a man donating bone marrow to a child in need. Donating bone marrow is an extremely painful procedure, and the reporter was praising the man as a hero for his sacrifice until he ran a background check and found out the donor had a history of domestic violence. The reporter chose to include this in his story. In this case I feel the history of domestic violence plays no role in the story, and should have been admitted. The point of the reporters story was self sacrifice for others, and to inspire people to be more generous the news worthiness of that mans past played no role in strengthening this story. However, in opposition to this case a reporter was doing a story on a man who developed an innovative way to wash cars. A background check disclosed that the man had a history of car theft. This information is clearly pertinent to the story and needed to be included.

Every case is going to be different and there is no rule of thumb to determine what should be put in a story and what is best left out. One needs to consider the consequences of revealing the persons past, whether the information is news worthy, and how it will effect the lives of the people involved. Journalists should not hesitate to get others opinions in making the proper decision. Journalists also need to remember that instead of ignoring the background report they can choose not to post the article entirely. Journalists have a huge ethical responsibility. Each case needs to be considered separately and earnestly. These cases affect not only the subjects lives, but also everyone there connected to.