If you wonder how the ethics of news is a matter that concerns you, turn on a local newscast and wait for live coverage of a high-speed pursuit. In Los Angeles, you probably won't have to wait long -- televised pursuits are a proven ratings getter. That's why stations air them even when there's heated disagreement within newsrooms about the journalistic merits of broadcasting what passes for breaking news.

But here are some questions viewers may want to ask: What's the real news value of the pursuit you're watching? Why is your favorite television station dropping several minutes worth-possibly even several hours worth of news stories to cover a high speed chase? Does this preference for flashy, mass appeal stories affect the editorial judgment of your favorite news station in other ways that are less apparent? In other words, are the news decision makers regularly putting style ahead of substance -- and if so, how does that affect the integrity and relevance of the news you're getting?

It's not a matter that's limited to local television. Newspapers are just as susceptible to putting profits and circulation ahead of good journalism. Readers can legitimately wonder -- is there a firewall that protects the newsroom from being influenced by advertisers or powerful local interests? And is there an internal system in place for evaluating the fairness and balance of the content a newsroom generates?

The ethics of journalism often comes down to a simple question -- who's watching the watchdogs? If the answer is, no one, news organizations may unwittingly commit the same kinds of abuses that make headlines when others are guilty of putting profits ahead of the public. That's why the better news organizations in America have made ethics an everyday concern -- not an issue relegated to some long forgotten college textbook.