The Great Debate UK
from Felix Salmon:
The ethics of accepting BP’s money
There are serious ethical questions surrounding whether or not investors should own stock in BP. But is it also unethical for art galleries and museums to accept money from BP? Time's Frances Perraudin gives the people who think so a lot of sympathetic space:
The cozy relationship between the arts and major corporations has often proved a controversial issue. But now, thanks to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, protesters — already angered by oil's role in climate change and human rights abuses — are focusing their crosshairs on BP...
"It's so galling to see every single cultural attraction in London that I care about stained with this horrible, horrible sponsorship," says Liberate Tate member Tom Costello...
Critics accuse BP of using blockbuster exhibitions and arts awards (the highlight of the National Portrait Gallery's year is the "BP Portrait Award") to direct attention away from their environmental and ethical crimes. "These sponsorship deals give companies like BP the social license to operate," says Dan Gretton, co-founder of Platform, an arts and research charity that puts pressure on arts organizations to dump their oil partners. "Having these links with cultural organizations is a way for them to launder their image."
from UK News:
Testing the limits of animal lab experiments
A mouse that can speak? A monkey with Down's Syndrome? Dogs with human hands or feet? British scientists want to know if such experiments are acceptable, or if they go too far in the name of medical research.
The Academy of Medical Sciences has launched a study to look at the use of animals containing human material in scientific research.
from Reuters Editors:
Are we now too speedy for our own good?
Last week I was told that Reuters has lost its ethical bearings. You've sacrificed the sacred tenet of accuracy by rushing to publish information without checking if it is true. Your credibility has suffered, the value of your brand will wither and the service you offer to clients has been devalued, I heard.
It was a meaty accusation, especially as it came in the midst of a debate on ethics in journalism held at the London home of ThomsonReuters, the parent of the Reuters news organisation. The charge came from former Reuters journalists and a senior member of the trustees body that monitors Reuters compliance with its core ethical principles.
from The Great Debate:
Refuting healthcare myths
-- David Magnus, Phd, is the director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. The views expressed are his own. --
The public discussion of healthcare reform has been full of so many lies and myths that it is less a policy debate than bad theater.
from For the Record:
A is for abattoir; Z is for ZULU: All in the Handbook of Journalism
Dean Wright is Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards. Any opinions are his own.
The first entry is abattoir (not abbatoir); the last is ZULU (a term used by Western military forces to mean GMT).
from For the Record:
Oscar special: Journalists on film
Dean Wright is Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards. Any opinions are his own.
It’s Oscar time, and I’m again reminded of the debt Hollywood and journalists owe each other. Journalists supply Hollywood with great stories and Hollywood sometimes makes us look cool—or at least worth a couple of hours of time and the price of a ticket.
from The Great Debate:
Ethics without regulation won’t cut it
– James Saft is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own –
There has been a lot of talk in Davos about improving business ethics, and mercy knows there is certainly room for that. The past few years, like the end of most booms, have included plenty of fraud, self-dealing, and general all-purpose unethical behaviour.
I think it’s fantastic that business should seek to raise ethical standards. It's good business, and not before time. I do understand that a lot of what happened was a social phenomenon, and that a change in mores can only help.
from For the Record:
Reporting in Gaza: Striving for fairness
Dean Wright is Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards. Any opinions are his own.
Let’s say it up front: Almost all of you will find something in this column to take issue with.
from Reuters Editors:
Typewriters, Technology and Trust
Dean Wright is Global Editor, Ethics, Innovation and News Standards. Any opinions are his own.
A little girl in my family got a typewriter for Christmas.
Not a laptop. Nothing with a screen. A typewriter. The old-fashioned manual kind with a smeary ribbon and keys that stick.
from Reuters Editors:
And the band played on: covering the economic crisis
I recently visited one of the most frightening sites on the Web—the place where I look at my shrinking retirement account.
As I calculated the investment loss since the steep decline in the markets began, and particularly since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in mid-September, some questions arose (in addition to: Will I ever be able to retire?).
