Scenarios
Test your editorial awareness with our news scenarios, which are all based on real situations faced by journalists.
Right of reply – scenario
When should journalists offer a right of reply? All the time, sometimes, never? Try our ethical scenario and add your comments.
Privacy protection – scenario
You are working on the online news desk of a large media organisation. News breaks of fighting overseas. Raw footage arrives showing identifiable dead bodies. What do you do?
Trespass and journalism – scenario
In this scenario we look at a situation where a journalist is faced with breaking the law in order to gather essential information for informing the public debate.
Scenario: Conflict of interests
In this scenario you are a political correspondent working for a national public service broadcaster. A lobbying company offers you a significant amount of money to train lobbyists in how to influence the media. What do you do?
Emotional pressure – scenario
How should a reporter respond when someone uses emotional pressure and threats to try to stop them doing their job?
Withholding information – scenario
In this scenario a journalist comes across information that changes the focus of a story the editor had asked them to write. Should they include it or withhold it.
Journalistic ethics – scenario
In this scenario a reporter feels ethically compromised after accepting hospitality from a developer who subsequently pressured them for favourable coverage.
Editorial impartiality – scenario
In this scenario a reporter covering a story about medical malpractice in a hospital discovers that the consultant involved is a relative. What should they do?
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