What British Journalism Students Think about Ethics and Journalism

Abstract

The study reports the results of the most extensive survey of its kind conducted in British journalism education, examining attitudes towards journalism ethics and news media roles held by 653 first-year undergraduates as they began British university journalism courses in 2002 and 2003. Findings are compared with similar data for British journalists. Influences such as social background, gender, and time spent in newsrooms are examined. The findings provide some evidence for a distinct British journalistic “culture” already embedded in students' attitudes when they begin formal journalism education, as well as for a gender difference in views of journalism ethics