Written by FASPE Journalism Fellows: Ian Kullgren, Christine Rushton and Dustin Volz

Journalism values accuracy and facts. But as videos go viral on social media and are accepted by their vast audiences as indisputable evidence of what occurred at a certain place and time, the line of what journalists use to back up their reported facts has started to blur into questionably ethical territory. Seasoned Atlantic writer James Fallows fell into this trap when publicly commenting on a video that appeared to depict a confrontation between a group of high school students from Covington Kentucky and a Native American elder in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on January 18, 2019.

Before obtaining a fuller picture, numerous media outlets were quick to criticize the Covington Catholic High School students for taunting the Native Americans on the Mall, but then reversed their position when more videos and information surfaced. The incident serves as a useful demonstration of the tensions in journalism between speed and accuracy and between reporting based on perception and on provable fact. It also highlights the power of social media to time and again tempt us to react to a controversy without the requisite humility and courtesy we might afford one another in a face-to-face disagreement.

Read the original article on The Atlantic.

Written by FASPE Business Fellows Brian Hathaway and Courtney Kaplan

In a world in which democratically elected governments seem increasingly unable to enact policy while large companies exercise outsized influence, what is the appropriate role of a corporation? Is it solely to maximize profits? The world’s two largest asset management companies made headlines this month: Vanguard Group for the passing of its founder John C. Bogle, who popularized the index fund, and BlackRock Inc. for Larry Fink’s annual letter to CEOs. Institutional investors, such as Vanguard and BlackRock, now own approximately two-thirds of U.S. equities and thus can exert broad influence over managerial practices. While Fink’s motivations and effectiveness may be debated, institutional investors will continue to shape discussions of corporate purpose. This op-ed examines Fink’s call to view social purpose as a company’s “fundamental reason for being” and as inextricably linked with profitability.

Read the original article on Bloomberg Opinion.

Written by FASPE Medical Fellows: Alexa Kanbergs and Joseph Scarpa, Jr.

He Jiankui, a Chinese biophysicist, claims that he has edited twin human embryonic genomes with a new technology called CRISPR-Cas9 to produce the first humans born with artificially edited genomes. The reception by the scientific community has been primarily one of intense criticism. Despite being impressed by He’s state-of-the-art technology, leading researchers have described this as a “failure of self-regulation.” He’s work raises questions regarding how broadly a medical researcher’s responsibility extends to the potential unintended consequences of his or her work and how critical is that researcher’s obligation to existing patients who may benefit from unrefined research and technology.

He, a researcher at China’s Southern University of Science and Technology, edited a gene, named CCR5, which provides the route by which HIV infects the immune system. Given the high prevalence of HIV in China, removing both copies of CCR5 would theoretically protect someone from contracting HIV. One of the twins, whose genome He manipulated, had both copies of the gene removed, while the other only had one gene successfully removed by the technology (meaning that he would still be at risk for HIV). Regardless of this difference, the parents decided to have both embryos implanted in the mother.

The literature regarding the ethics of gene editing usually breaks down into a discussion regarding cure vs enhancement. Interestingly, He’s actions are an example of enhancement for the sake of disease prevention.

The backlash has been severe. Some have stated flatly that this technology was not ready for human application, while others wished He had targeted other genes for elimination that would cure a disease, like Huntington’s or Tay-Sachs. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has condemned this work, the top scientific societies in China have stated that He violated human rights laws, and Francis Collins (director of the US National Institute of Health) has called for the development of a “binding international consensus” to regulate this type of research. A secondary ethical dilemma wrapped into this case is how scientific norms are discovered, agreed upon, and enforced, and whether medical scientists are bounded by these norms even at the potential expense of a particular patient.

Read the original article posted on Nature.

Written by FASPE Seminary Fellows: Cornelia Dalton, Deacon Andrew J. De Silva and Alissa Oleson

“For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good.” This line of Scripture taken from Romans 13:04 lies at the intersection of religious and civil law. It also lies at the heart of a piece by Basyle J. Tchividjian, executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), who argues that religious leaders are obligated to work with the proper civil authorities and professional experts to address allegations of sexual abuse swiftly, thoughtfully, and with as much dignity and respect as possible for the victimized child. In Jewish tradition, the concept of dina d'malkhuta dina—the law of the land is the law—speaks to the same matter. Tchividjian advocates for having policy protocols in place at schools and places of worship, addressing the concerns of the wider community, and placing the needs of the victim first.

Read the original article on Currents in Theology and Mission.