Distinctions that Matter: Ethical Differences at Large and Small Newspapers

Abstract

Qualitative interviews with top-level editors at twenty-eight newspapers across the United States (fourteen at “large” newspapers and fourteen at “small” newspapers) revealed how community and newsroom size impact the ways editors conceptualize and deal with certain ethical dilemmas. The findings provide some support for the theory of “connectivity” in journalism: that journalists in small markets are likely to he more in touch with, and more concerned with, community values than journalists in large markets. At large newspapers, journalists approach ethics with more concern for their newspapers' professional reputations, whereas journalists at small newspapers are more concerned about their newspapers' relationships with their communities.