Title: BuzzFeed publishing the unverified Steele dossier: a brief case study

Authors: Tatiana Harkiolakis

Addresses: The American College of Greece, Gravias 6, Aghia Paraskevi, 15342, Greece

Abstract: The decision by BuzzFeed in 2017 to publish an article linking to a document that subsequently became known as the Steele dossier sparked widespread debate regarding the publishing of unverified information by professional journalists. In this case study, the ethicality of BuzzFeed's decision is examined, with arguments presented both for and against in the contexts of utilitarian ethics and Kantian ethics, respectively. A personal perspective is offered, supported by the tenets of Aristotelian virtue ethics.

Keywords: BuzzFeed; Steele dossier; media ethics; publishing; journalism.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2020.108168

International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 2020 Vol.11 No.1, pp.65 - 70

Received: 28 Oct 2019
Accepted: 02 Nov 2019
Published online: 03 Jul 2020 *

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