Ethics and journalism? -- The reporting bestiary: Watchdogs, vultures and gadflys -- The hack's progress -- Skills and knowledge -- Why journalism matters -- Journalism as story-telling -- Comfortable bed-fellows -- Thinking about ethics -- What is ethics? -- The Aristotelian tradition -- Natural Law tradition -- Humean sentiment -- Kant and the categorical imperative -- Bentham, Mill and Utilitarianism -- Modern approaches -- Objecting to ethics -- Concluding thoughts -- Virtue ethics -- The temptations that journalists are heir to -- Ethical approaches to journalism -- Virtue ethics -- The education of the emotions -- Acting virtuously -- Why act virtuously? -- Key features of virtue ethics -- Professional and occupational goals -- Lying to tell a story -- The value of truth -- Truth and truthfulness -- Lying and deception -- Lying and the public interest -- Faking it -- Seeing and believing -- Breaking trust -- The mendacious medium -- Restoring trust -- Freedom's scope -- Understanding freedom -- Freedom of expression -- Freedom of the press -- Avoiding harm -- Freedom, truth and goodness -- Undermining human dignity -- Being free and responsible -- Private lives and public interest -- What is privacy? -- Protecting privacy -- Death in Paris -- Making the private public -- Private lives and public figures -- Public interest and public good -- Death, disease and destruction -- Suffering, compassion and pity -- Coverage of suffering -- Death and disaster -- Domestic tragedy -- Picture power -- 'Only connect' -- Liaisons Dangereuses: reporters and sources -- Reporters and sources -- Trust and confidentiality -- Types of sources -- Conflicts of interest -- Intentions and motives -- Bribes, junkets and freebies -- Financial journalism -- Puffery and suppression -- Personal views -- The bottom line -- Chasing the market -- Concentrating ownership -- The product's integrity -- The reporter's integrity -- 'Ethical efficiency' -- Self-regulation and codes of conduct -- Promoting ethical behaviour -- Keeping the critics at bay -- The Press Complaints Commission and its evolving code of practice -- Global self-regulation and codes of practice -- Generating ethical debate -- Blaming the harlots -- The limits of the letter of the law -- Responsible and accountable -- Social responsibility -- Irresponsible journalism -- Promoting accountability -- The good journalist -- Good journalism and journalists -- Twenty-first century ethical challenges -- Encouraging good journalists -- Why be good? -- The Press Complaints Commission and the code of practice.

Ethics and Journalism is essential reading for all journalism, media and politics students studying journalism and ethics, as well as for those who already work in the media and are interested in understanding ethical issues.