October 2, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "The journalism ethics expert who led the task force which examined NPR's ethics code in the aftermath of the dismissal of commentator Juan Williams" was the guest on Bloomington, Indiana's WFIU tonight. Bob Steele, Distinguished Professor of Journalism Ethics at DePauw University and director of its Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics, was the guest on the NPR affiliate's weekly hour-long program, Profiles.
"You've led scores of ethics reviews around the country," noted host Perry Metz as he introduced Dr. Steele. "Is it fair to say you're the emergency room doctor called in when a journalism organization injures itself?"
The station notes that, at DePauw, Steele "teaches seminars on values, beliefs and
storytelling, leadership and responsibility, and journalism ethics. He regularly advises journalists and media leaders on ethical
dilemmas and leadership challenges, and is often interviewed about media
ethics issues by news organizations. His professional background includes positions as television reporter and news director. For twenty years, he served on the faculty of the Poynter Institute
for Media Studies where he led ethics and values sessions for news
organizations."
Hear the program at the station's website.
A 1969 graduate of DePauw, Robert M. Steele is one of America's leading experts on media ethics and is regularly quoted in news stories. This week, the Washington Post called upon the professor for analysis of media conjecture about Michelle Obama.